Dec 19, 2024 17:00:00

Mozilla, which develops Firefox, claims that Google's antitrust lawsuit will destroy Google's various businesses and put its operating funds in a pinch

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a proposed remedy with the court to end Google's monopoly in the search market, citing antitrust violations in the search business. Mozilla, the developer of the Firefox web browser, has filed a lawsuit against the DOJ, arguing that the proposed remedy would jeopardize Mozilla's revenue streams and put Mozilla's future in jeopardy.

Proposed contractual remedies in United States v. Google threatens vital role of independent browsers

https://blog.mozilla.org/en/mozilla/internet-policy/google-remedies-browsers/

In October 2020, DOJ, together with 11 state attorneys general, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleging that 'Google has illegally maintained a monopoly in the search and search advertising markets through anticompetitive and exclusionary practices.' The trial on this

lawsuit was then held from September 12, 2023, and in August 2024, Judge Amit Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbiaruled that 'Google's actions constitute a monopoly on general search services and general search text ads.'

In response to this ruling, it was reported that the DOJ was considering breaking up Google's business, including selling Chrome, and on November 20, 2024, the DOJ once again formally requested that Google sell Chrome.

US Department of Justice demands Google sell Chrome, Google counters, 'This goes far beyond the court's decision' - GIGAZINE

Regarding the request, Mozilla pointed out, 'We have long advocated for competition in digital markets and advocated for reforms that create a level playing field. Mozilla understands DOJ's efforts to improve the search market. However, it is important to understand that the outcome of this case will have impacts that go far beyond any one company or market.'

According to Mozilla, Firefox's search options have always included Google search since the release of Firefox 1.0 in 2004, and since renewing its partnership with Google in 2017, Google search has become the default search engine in Firefox.

Mozilla said, 'Independent web browsers like Firefox allow users to choose their own search engine, promoting competition in the search engine market. Search revenues generated by Firefox are used to support the work of the Mozilla Foundation and our products, including Mozilla's browser engine, Gecko, to continue our work.' It also claimed that Mozilla has a symbiotic relationship with Google.

Mozilla also pointed out that because the only major browser engines left today are Apple's

WebKit , Google's Blink , and Mozilla's Gecko , the proposed measures against Google could undermine competition not only among search engines but also among browser engines, and expressed concern that the loss of competition as a result of the DOJ's proposed measures could undermine Mozilla's operating funds.

'Firefox and other independent browsers account for a small percentage of U.S. search queries, but they play a huge role in providing meaningful choice to consumers and protecting user privacy. They're not just alternatives to the major browsers,' Mozilla said.

'We want to see action that truly improves competition, not a world in which the sale of Chrome shifts market share from one trillion-dollar technology company like Google to another. Real change requires addressing competitive barriers and growing markets that foster competition, innovation, and consumer choice in search engines, web browsers, browser engines, and more,' he said. 'We urge the Court to consider remedies that achieve that goal without harming Chrome or Blink, and ultimately without harming the web itself.'