Money, Chrome, and ChatGPT: The high stakes of Google’s monopoly trial
1 min read
Summary
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) is trying to stop Google from making deals for default search engine placement.
For example, it pays $20bn annually to be the default in Apple’s Safari.
It also wants Google to spin off its Chrome browser, which the company claims should remain part of Google.
The third demand is for Google to make its search data available for licence to any competitor who wants it, which Google claims amounts to “white labelling” its product.
The case has raised questions about what constitutes a fair search market.
Google claims that AI search engines such as ChatGPT prove the market is now competitive.
The remedies phase of the trial is set to last for two weeks.
At the end of this stage, Judge Mehta will decide what, if any, action to take.