Google suggests fixes to search monopoly amid antitrust battle

Alphabet’s Google proposed new limits to revenue-sharing agreements with companies including Apple which make Google’s search engine the default on their devices and browsers.

The suggestions stem from the US search giant’s ongoing antitrust battle over its online search business.

In August, US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google illegally crushed its competition in search – a decision the company vowed to appeal.

In a legal filing submitted Friday, Google said it should be allowed to continue entering into those contracts with other companies while widening the options it offers.

These options include allowing different default search engines to be assigned to different platforms and browsing modes.

Google’s suggested remedies also call for the ability for partners to change their default search provider at least every 12 months.

The proposals stand in stark contrast to the sweeping remedies suggested last month by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), which recommended that Judge Mehta force the firm to stop entering into revenue-sharing contracts.

DOJ lawyers also demanded that Google sell Chrome, the world’s most popular web browser.

Google’s search engine accounts for about 90% of all online searches globally, according to web traffic analysis platform Statcounter.

In a statement, Google called DOJ’s remedies “overbroad” and said even its own counterproposals, which were filed in response to a court-mandated deadline, would come at a cost to their partners.

Judge Mehta is expected to issue a decision in the remedies phase of the landmark case by August, after a trial.