Alphabet’s Google (GOOGL.O) is set to face a landmark antitrust trial starting Monday, as U.S. regulators in Washington push to have the tech giant divest its Chrome browser in an effort to revive competition in the online search engine market.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), following two recent court wins against Google—including an August decision that found the company monopolized the search market—will lead the case. Just last Thursday, a Virginia judge ruled in a separate lawsuit that Google holds an unlawful monopoly in digital advertising.
This trial has the potential to drastically alter the structure of the internet, possibly dethroning Google as the dominant search platform. Google has stated its intent to appeal any unfavorable outcome.
“Antitrust remedies require caution, as emphasized by the U.S. Supreme Court. The DOJ’s proposal completely disregards that principle,” wrote Google executive Lee-Anne Mulholland in a blog post published Sunday.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta will preside over the three-week trial, which will take place in the same courthouse where Meta Platforms (META.O) is currently facing a separate antitrust case regarding its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.
In this case, the DOJ, joined by 38 state attorneys general, is recommending sweeping reforms aimed at dismantling Google’s market dominance and enabling emerging competitors to gain traction. Proposed actions include ending exclusive deals where Google pays billions to companies like Apple (AAPL.O) to remain the default search engine on their devices.
The remedies would also require Google to license its search results to rival firms. If those steps don’t prove effective, Google might be forced to divest its Android operating system entirely.
Prosecutors plan to present testimony indicating that Google’s default search agreements have hindered competition, particularly among AI firms. Representatives from Perplexity AI and OpenAI are expected to testify.
Google, meanwhile, argues the proposed changes are excessive and urges the court to simply modify the terms of its existing default agreements rather than mandate structural changes.
As a $1.9 trillion company, Google has financially supported browser developers like Mozilla in exchange for maintaining its default status. The company claims that eliminating such payments could jeopardize those browsers and potentially increase smartphone prices if payments to device manufacturers are halted.
Google intends to call witnesses from Mozilla, Verizon (VZ.N), and Apple, the latter of which unsuccessfully tried to join the case. Google also contends that few potential Chrome buyers would have the same motivation to maintain its open-source foundation—a key resource for other browsers, including those from Microsoft.
