In a recent antitrust case, Google has presented its own proposal after the US Department of Justice suggested that Google should sell its Chrome browser.
US District Court Judge Amit Mehta ruled in August that Google was engaging in illegal practices to maintain a monopoly in online search. The DOJ then proposed remedies such as selling Chrome, spinning off Android operating system, and prohibiting exclusive search agreements with browser and phone companies.
On Friday, Google filed an alternative proposal, with Lee-Anne Mullholland, the company’s vice president of regulatory affairs, arguing in a blog post that the DOJ’s proposal exceeds the scope of the court’s decision and would negatively impact American consumers and innovation.
Google suggests that search deals with companies like Apple and Mozilla should still be permitted but with the flexibility to set different defaults on various platforms and browsing modes. Additionally, Google proposes that Android device manufacturers should have more choice in pre-loading multiple search engines and Google apps without Search or Chrome.
Judge Mehta is expected to decide on remedies next year, with a hearing scheduled for April. Google plans to appeal Mehta’s ruling against them but will first negotiate potential remedies as required by the legal process.
