Mexico Sued Google Over Gulf of Mexico Title Change, President Says

President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico on Friday morning stated her authorities had sued Google over the corporate’s resolution to label the Gulf of Mexico as ‘Gulf of America’ — a spat going again to February, when the Trump administration issued an govt order to rename the gulf.

The order prompted some native governments and lawmakers in america to embrace the usage of the identify on official paperwork. It additionally prompted Google to implement the change on its maps. Customers in america would see the physique of water with the brand new identify whereas folks in Mexico would proceed seeing Gulf of Mexico, the corporate introduced in a press release. The remainder of the world would see each names.

However for Ms. Sheinbaum, who as soon as playfully joked that america might be renamed “Mexican America,” even that compromise crosses a line. The unilateral try and rename the gulf has provoked ridicule and anger in Mexico, the place many individuals have a destructive opinion of Mr. Trump however usually approve Ms. Sheinbaum’s cool-headed strategy to navigate his string of threats, in response to latest polls.

“What we’re saying is: ‘Google, abide by what the U.S. authorities has authorised,’” she informed reporters, referring to the order, which solely renamed the maritime areas managed by america — and never the whole gulf.

The Trump administration is nicely inside its proper to rename its personal territory however the maritime zones which are underneath the management of Mexico or Cuba can’t be relabeled by america or anybody else, she stated. “We might haven’t any enterprise in telling them to rename a state, a mountain, or a lake,” she added.

In February, Cris Turner, the vice chairman for presidency affairs and public coverage at Google, despatched a letter to the Mexican authorities justifying the change and confirming that individuals utilizing Google Maps in Mexico would proceed to see Gulf of Mexico.

“That is per our regular working process to replicate on our platforms geographic names prescribed by totally different authoritative authorities sources,” the letter stated, together with in locations the place these sources “might differ.”

The subsequent day, Mexico’s overseas ministry stated in one other letter to Mr. Turner that relabeling the whole gulf, even for American customers solely, “exceeds the powers of any nationwide authority or personal entity.” Mexico, the ministry stated, would take any authorized motion it deemed applicable.

Ms. Sheinbaum didn’t say on Friday when or the place precisely her administration introduced the lawsuit towards Google however she added that there already had been a “first decision.” A spokesman for Mexico’s overseas ministry didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.