Mexico Cofece Closes Multi-Year Google Antitrust Investigation

Mexico's Federal Economic Competition Commission (Cofece) has closed its multi-year antitrust investigation into Google, concluding that the company did not engage in monopolistic practices in the digital advertising market. The probe, which began in 2020, examined whether Google's advertising platform gave it an undue advantage, specifically investigating if advertisers were forced to bundle ads on third-party sites with search engine ads. Cofece found no evidence of such tied sales or monopolistic conduct, clearing Google of potential fines that could have reached up to 8% of its annual revenue in Mexico. Google welcomed the decision, emphasizing that its products offer advertisers freedom and control over their advertising strategies. Despite this victory in Mexico, Google continues to face antitrust challenges globally, including in the United States, where courts have ruled it holds an unlawful monopoly in online search and advertising. U.S. regulators are pursuing remedies such as forcing Google to share search data and end exclusive default agreements with device manufacturers.