Google Challenges DOJ's Demand to Divest Chrome in Antitrust Showdown

In response to the U.S. Department of Justice's recent proposal to force the sale of its Chrome browser, Google has labeled the initiative as "extreme" and legally unsound. The tech giant has urged federal court judges to approach the matter with caution, emphasizing the potential adverse impacts on innovation and future investments.

Documents submitted by Google this past Friday evening articulate the company’s position, challenging the Justice Department's plan as disproportionate to previously identified antitrust offenses. The proposal, according to Google, does not address the crux of the illegal practices identified by the court—namely, the exclusive contracts with browser makers, mobile device manufacturers, and telecom operators.

Google has underscored that courts generally refrain from enforcing drastic remedial measures when addressing anticompetitive conduct. The company's stance is that remedies should be proportionate to the specific illegality involved. According to Google, effective solutions must allow competing browsers like Apple's Safari to collaborate freely with any search engine they deem suitable for user needs.

The company has also advocated for a proposal that continues to allow revenue sharing with competing browsers while maintaining support for multiple default browsers across various platforms. Additionally, Google's plan would enable device manufacturers to pre-install numerous search engines without mandating the inclusion of Chrome and Google Search alongside other Google apps.

Google’s response follows the U.S. Department of Justice’s top antitrust official's decision last November to press for the sale of Chrome, citing its significance as a user gateway to Google's search engine. Google has expressed strong opposition, arguing that such government intervention could harm consumers, developers, and the United States' technological leadership at a critical time.