Germany: Federal Cartel Office concluded investigation into Google over its anticompetitive practices in connection with Google Maps Platform (B7-25/22-GMP)

On 9 April 2025, the German Federal Cartel Office issued its final decision, accepting Alphabet Inc.'s (Google's) commitments and closing the case under Section 32b(1) of the German Competition Act (GWB). The decision declared the commitments binding, requiring Google to fully implement the changes within 90 days of the effective date (by 8 July 2025) to enable interoperability between the Google Maps Platform (GMP) and rival services such as HERE Technologies and TomTom. Commitments include removing restrictive clauses from the GMP Terms of Service, applying the changes to customers in the European Economic Area (EEA) and relevant vehicle manufacturers, and prohibiting circumvention of the commitments. The commitments will remain in force for ten years. The Federal Cartel Office coordinated with the European Commission under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) to align with EU digital market rules.