Google proposes fixes to seek monopoly amid antitrust fight

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

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

In August, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google was illegally crushing its competition in search — a decision the company vowed to appeal.

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

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

Google’s proposed solutions also require partners to change their default search provider at least every 12 months.

The proposals stand in stark contrast to the sweeping solutions proposed last month by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), which recommended that Judge Mehta force the company 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 the web traffic analytics platform State counter.

In a statement, Google called the DOJ’s remedies “overbroad” and said even its own counter-motions, filed in response to a court-mandated deadline, would cost its partners.

Judge Mehta is expected to issue a ruling in the remedial phase of the landmark case by August after a trial.