Around the world, government organizations are accusing Google of monopolistic behavior. The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) will reportedly declare that Google is violating the country’s antitrust laws with regard to its search engine, Chrome, and issue a cease and desist letter, reports Nikkei Asia.
The watchdog began investigating Google’s practices last October. The JFTC reportedly accuses Google of requiring smartphone manufacturers to sign a contract stating that Chrome will not only be pre-downloaded on all devices, but that it will be placed in a fixed location on the screen.
Manufacturers are reportedly forced to do this in order to make Google Play available on their devices. In the US, federal judge Amit Mehta ruled in November that Google is a “monopolist” in the search engine industry.
The Department of Justice (DoJ) then called on Google to sell Chrome because it would “permanently erode Google’s control over this critical search access point and give rival search engines the ability to access the browser that is the gateway to the Internet for many users.”
The Justice Department has also asked Google to stop using Chrome on Android. Google recently released a motion to appease the Justice Department, but has said it will appeal the judge’s decision ahead of a hearing in April.