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Currently the target of a major antitrust investigation, Google could drag other companies down with it if a conviction is confirmed. Behind the future of the agreements signed by Google lies the survival of certain publishers, including Mozilla.
First of all, a quick reminder: at the moment in the United States, the DOJ – Department of Justice – has been on Google’s back for years over strong suspicions of abuse of dominant position. In August 2024, the district court judge ruled that Google’s dominant position was possible, because the US firm has contracts with other companies that allow it to maintain a monopoly position in online search. To remedy the situation, the DOJ made two recommendations: on the one hand, that Google divest itself of Chrome, its web browser closely linked to Google Search. Secondly, Google should break its promotional agreements, which enable its search engine to be promoted to Internet users.
In a blog post published on 9 May, Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s vice-president of regulatory affairs, described the proposals as “extreme” and said they would “harm consumers and America’s technological leadership”. In a way, Mozilla shares this view.
Firefox, a browser on life support… from Google
One of Google Chrome’s rivals is Firefox, a browser developed by Mozilla. Firefox and Chrome are a bit like David and Goliath… except that David is largely funded by money from Goliath.
In fact, to date, around 85% of Mozilla’s revenue comes from an agreement of the kind at the heart of the current dispute: Google pays Firefox to remain the default search engine in the browser. And, inevitably, if the American courts order Google to cut ties with its partners, this means depriving Mozilla of the vast majority of its revenues… And therefore, virtually condemning the company to go out of business.
The paradox is immense: by seeking to curb Google’s dominant position in online search, the US DOJ could well be preventing the Mountain View firm from helping to finance its own competition in the browser sector… Unsurprisingly, Mozilla is sounding the alarm.
“It’s very frightening
Interviewed by the American website The Verge, Eric Muhlheim, Mozilla’s financial director, summed up the situation simply: “It’s very frightening”, he commented. Firefox currently accounts for 90% of Mozilla’s revenue, while Google is responsible for 85%. Eric Muhlheim explains that the loss of this contract would require “major budget cuts within the company”, essentially massive redundancies. A situation that would lead to a “vicious circle”: fewer staff to develop Firefox would also mean running the risk of making the browser less attractive to Internet users. What’s more, Mozilla’s not-for-profit arm would no longer be in a position to fund open source initiatives or others in favour of the environment, as is currently the case.
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In a recently published blog post, Mozilla publicly confirms the delicate situation in which the company finds itself. “A major concern is the particular focus on contractual remedies proposed by the Department of Justice that could harm the ability of independent browsers to fund their operations. These remedies may unintentionally harm browser and browser engine competition without significantly advancing search engine competition.” Killing competition also means taking away alternatives for Internet users. And that’s something Mozilla is also stressing. “We urge the court to consider solutions that achieve its objectives without harming independent browsers, browser engines and, ultimately, without harming the Web,” the company concludes. It now remains to be seen whether Mozilla’s case will be heard by the US courts.
