Mexico threatens Google with legal action for renaming Gulf of Mexico
World news | President Claudia Sheinbaum emphasised Mexico's refusal to accept any geographic name changes involving its national territory.
Mexico on Monday (Feb 17) warned Google that it was prepared to take legal action against the tech giant if it insists on renaming the "Gulf of Mexico" as the "Gulf of America" for US-based Maps users.
President Claudia Sheinbaum, speaking at her daily press briefing, said that her government has once again reiterated its opposition to the change in a letter to Google.
Also read | Trump blocked THIS news agency from Modi press conference amid 'Gulf of Mexico/America' naming dispute
Mexico's argument against the name change
Sheinbaum said that Mexico has written to Google, arguing that US President Donald Trump's executive order on the matter only applies to the US portion of the continental shelf.
"Google has no right to rename Mexico's continental shelf, nor does it have any right to rename Cuba's continental shelf, because the Gulf of Mexico is divided among the three countries," she declared.
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The letter, she added, makes it clear that "under no circumstances does Mexico accept the renaming of any geographic area that includes part of its national territory and that is under its jurisdiction".
"We will wait for Google's response and, if not, we will proceed in court," added the Mexico president added, doubling down on a threat she first made previously.
On Friday, as per AFP, Sheinbaum announced that her government was considering filing a civil suit against Google.
Trump's order
The dispute follows Trump's executive order, signed shortly after his January 20 inauguration, directing US federal agencies and businesses to adopt the term "Gulf of America."
His administration's Interior Department announced on January 24, 2025, that it has officially renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum mocked Trump by suggesting to call the United States "Mexican America," pointing to an older map before one-third of her country was seized by the US in 1848.
Falling in line with Trump's order, Google in a blog post on February 10, 2025, announced that it was changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to 'Gulf of America' for those using its Maps application in the United States.
"People using Maps in the U.S. will see 'Gulf of America,' and people in Mexico will see 'Gulf of Mexico.' Everyone else will see both names," wrote the tech giant.
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Google defends move
Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has defended its decision, explaining in a letter to Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente that the name change was "consistent with our normal operating procedure to reflect on our platforms geographic names prescribed by different authoritative, government sources, including reflecting where authoritative sources may differ."The company also expressed willingness to engage in a "constructive dialogue" with Mexican officials, potentially through an in-person meeting.
Meanwhile, Apple has also implemented the "Gulf of America" label for US users of its mapping application, complying with Trump’s directive.
