Google in trouble: Mexico sues over ‘Gulf of America’ name change

Mexico has filed a lawsuit against Google for renaming the “Gulf of Mexico” to "Gulf of America" on Google Maps for users in the United States (US).

The name change was implemented in February, following a directive from US President Donald Trump.

The Mexican President, Claudia Sheinbaum, has announced the lawsuit, stating that the US government doesn't have the authority to rename the entire body of water, as it's an international attribution.

Sheinbaum noted that the Mexican government had previously sent letters to Google asking the company not to label its territorial waters as "Gulf of America."

However, Google's Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy, Cris Turner, responded, saying the company had no plans to change its policy.

Despite this, Google changed the name for US users, while keeping "Gulf of Mexico" for users in Mexico.

Notably, the US House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would formally codify the name change to "Gulf of America."

Sheinbaum emphasised that no single country can unilaterally rename an international body of water, adding that the part of the Gulf corresponding to Mexico and Cuba can't be renamed.

It is worth mentioning that Google's decision to change the name has sparked controversy, with some companies following suit, like Apple, while others, like MapQuest, have refused to adopt the new name.