A Court In The U.S. Has Determined The Future Of The Internet
- 3.09.2025, 8:55
Google has scored a major victory.
Google managed to avoid selling Chrome and Android by court order. However, the company was ordered to open access to the data to competitors.
This is reported by Reuters.
A U.S. court has ruled in an antitrust case against Google. D.C. Circuit Judge Amit Mehta ruled that the company does not have to sell the Chrome browser and Android operating system. Instead, Google must share some of its data with rivals to increase competition in the search market.
Shares of parent company Alphabet rose 7.2 percent after the ruling was published. Investors took the news positively as Google will also be able to continue making multi-billion dollar payments to Apple, which antitrust regulators have criticized. Apple's stock rose 3%.
Competing with Artificial Intelligence
The court noted that Google's competition is being boosted by artificial intelligence companies. "Here, the court is being asked to look into a crystal ball and look into the future. That is not really the judge's strong suit," Mehta said.
He said the growing popularity of ChatGPT and other solutions shows that AI companies are able to compete with Google better than traditional search engine developers. The judge emphasized that with new technologies emerging, there is no need to require the sale of Chrome or Android.
Competitors' access to data
Transferring data to competitors will be a challenge for Google, but keeping key products has reduced investor concerns. Experts say the decision opens up new opportunities for the development of chatbots and AI search engines.
"The flow of money into this area and the speed at which it has happened is astounding," Mehta wrote. Analysts believe users will gradually get used to the new services, so the risk to Google is not immediate.
Billions in payments to Apple
The court also allowed Google to continue paying Apple and other device makers for using its default search engine. According to Morgan Stanley analysts, the amount of such payments to Apple is as high as $20 billion a year.
The court said that with the growth of AI solutions, a ban on these payments is not necessary. In doing so, Google lost the right to enter into exclusive contracts that prevented competitors from installing apps.