Google Proposes Revised Revenue-Sharing Limits Amid Antitrust Battle

Alphabet’s Google has put forward new proposals to address concerns over its revenue-sharing agreements with companies like Apple, which help make Google’s search engine the default choice on various devices and browsers. The move comes as the tech giant grapples with an ongoing antitrust lawsuit concerning its dominance in online search, according to BBC.

The legal struggle intensified in August when U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google had violated antitrust laws by suppressing competition in the search market. While Google has vowed to appeal the decision, the company has simultaneously suggested measures aimed at addressing the court’s concerns during the trial’s remedies phase.

In a filing submitted last Friday, Google emphasized its intention to continue entering into agreements with other companies while expanding the range of default search options available to users. These options include allowing different default search engines to be assigned to various platforms or browsing modes. Google also proposed requiring its partners to give users the ability to switch their default search provider at least once a year.

Read more: European Sites Criticize Google’s Compliance Efforts with DMA

Per BBC, these proposals sharply diverge from the more stringent remedies advocated by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Last month, DOJ lawyers argued that Google should be barred from entering into revenue-sharing contracts altogether and called for the divestiture of Chrome, Google’s popular web browser. The DOJ’s recommendations aim to dismantle what they describe as unfair advantages in Google’s market dominance, which currently accounts for about 90% of all online searches globally, according to Statcounter.

In response, Google described the DOJ’s suggested remedies as “overbroad” and cautioned that even its own proposed changes would have financial implications for its partners. The company noted that its counterproposals were filed in compliance with a court-mandated deadline.

Source: BBC