US Court Rules Google Not to Sell Chrome Browser

Google will not be forced to sell its Chrome browser as part of an antitrust settlement, U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta ruled Tuesday. He found the search giant violated the Sherman Act more than a year ago and now outlined specific steps to remedy the situation.

The judge rejected some of the Justice Department’s more sweeping proposals, including selling Chrome and barring Google from paying partners to pre-install its search products. But he ruled that the company must share valuable search information with competitors to make their products more competitive. Google is also prohibited from entering into exclusive deals to distribute its search and AI products if that would limit the promotion of competitors’ offerings.

The ruling is considered the most significant antitrust ruling against the tech giant in 25 years. But the process is far from over. Google can now appeal both the ruling itself and the measures it took. That could lead to years of litigation, all the way to the Supreme Court.

The Justice Department had previously pushed for tougher measures, arguing that only a comprehensive approach could truly restore competition in the online search market. Their proposals included not only selling Chrome but also giving competitors access to search data. The court partially heeded those demands, but reached a more balanced decision.