Alphabet’s Google believes that Android phone makers such as Samsung last year will offer exclusiveness as well as search apps, as well as Gemini AI apps and Chrome browsers.
The broad coalition of the Department of Justice and the state attorney general is seeking orders from judges in Washington that require Google to sell Chrome and take other measures.
They hope that what the judges find is Google’s monopoly in online search and related advertising.
In that ruling, US District Judge Amit Mehta discovered that Google protected its search monopoly through exclusive agreements with Samsung Electronics and others, and secured it to install a search engine as the default for new devices.
Google signed a new, non-exclusive agreement with Samsung on April 1st. This does not include the smartphone manufacturer loading alternative search products, according to documents presented at the trial.
Google had proposed loosening the contract to address Mehta’s ruling, but has not announced that it has already done so.
Prosecutors raised concerns when opening a statement Monday that Google’s search monopoly could bring benefits to AI and that AI products are another way to guide users to search engines.
Nick Turley, head of Openai’s ChatGpt products, will stand up on Tuesday to testify on how Google’s exclusive agreement makes it difficult to distribute AI products such as ChatGpt.
Google says the incident is not about AI and faces robust competition with companies, including metaplatforms.
