Judge rejects US bid to force Google to sell Chrome

A federal judge ruled that Google will not be forced to sell Chrome, siding with the company against the Justice Department’s antitrust proposal.

A federal judge on Tuesday rejected the U.S. government’s proposal to force Google to sell its Chrome web browser, a move intended to restore competition in online search.

The ruling followed a three-week hearing that ended in May, where the Department of Justice and several states argued that divesting Chrome was necessary to address Google’s monopoly. The government had described Chrome as the “gateway to the internet.”

Last year, Google was found to have illegally maintained dominance in search by striking exclusive agreements with Apple, Samsung, AT&T and others to remain the default search engine on devices. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company disputed the ruling.

Google argued that selling Chrome would “harm consumers and America’s technological leadership” and instead suggested narrower remedies, such as easing restrictions in contracts with wireless carriers and device makers.

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, saw its shares surge in after-hours trading after the decision. Despite regulatory challenges, Google’s second-quarter revenue rose 14% to $96.43 billion, with net income up 19% to $28.19 billion.

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