The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a notice to cross-appeal a federal judge’s fall ruling that Google does not have to sell its Chrome browser. The Antitrust Division announced the action on X, and Bloomberg reported that a group of states plans to join the appeal.
The DOJ had sought Chrome’s divestiture as a remedy in the antitrust case. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta rejected the request in his decision. “Plaintiffs overreached in seeking forced divesture of these key assets, which Google did not use to effect any illegal restraints,” Mehta wrote.
Mehta upheld Google’s illegal monopoly in general search services but imposed other restrictions. These include ending exclusive deals for distributing certain services and requiring Google to share select search data with competitors for 10 years.
Google has filed its own appeal against these restrictions. The company aims to reduce the penalties, while the DOJ seeks harsher measures, including the Chrome sale.
The appeals follow Mehta’s August 2024 remedies ruling after his 2023 finding that Google maintained an illegal search monopoly through exclusive deals with Apple and others. The cross-appeal targets the denial of structural remedies like divesting Android or Chrome.
