Google faces lawsuit by Mexico over mislabeling Gulf of Mexico as Gulf of America

Mexico's Punch at Tech Giant Google over Gulf of America Label

Mexico City is throwing a jab at Google! The Latin American nation has laid down the lawsuits over Google's decision to label the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, following an executive order by former U.S. President Trump. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the lawsuit on May 9, 2025, during her regular press briefing.

Sheinbaum did not disclose the details of the lawsuit. However, she confirmed that the legal action against Google had been taken due to its unyielding stance on using the "Gulf of America" label for Mexican territorial waters. In the past, Mexico's Foreign Relations ministry had urged Google to cease the labeling of its waters with the new name [1][2][3].

Google, as of yet, has not publicly commented on the matter. The company has repeatedly defended its policy of using the Gulf of America name, describing it as adherence to long-standing map policies [1][2][3]. These policies apply uniformly across all regions, in Google's view.

The Gulf of Mexico has carried the name for over four centuries, with the Associated Press continuing its traditional usage while acknowledging the recent name change by Trump. However, the new name does not hold weight outside of the United States, being legally binding only within the country's borders [1][3].

Mexico maintains that the Gulf of America label should be limited to the part of the gulf under the U.S. continental shelf, rather than being applied to Mexican territorial waters [1][3]. In February 2025, Google's vice president of government affairs and public policy, Cris Turner, penned a letter to Sheinbaum, affirming the company's unwillingness to alter its policy [1][3].

This controversial issue has attracted attention from other corners of the globe. In the past, Trump has shown a penchant for rechristening geographical locations, including the Persian Gulf, which he sought to rename the Arabian Gulf [4]. Similarly, Venezuela rejected a United Nations court order to halt an election in a disputed territory with neighboring Guyana [5].

Remarkably, this is not the first instance where the media has faced challenges due to Trump's policies. In February 2025, the Associated Press sued three Trump administration officials over restricted access to presidential events, citing freedom of speech [6]. A federal judge subsequently reinstated the AP's access, asserting that the government cannot punish media organizations for the content of their speech [6].

Overall, Mexico is now embroiled in a legal battle with Google, seeking to protect its territorial waters from being labeled with a disputed name. The outcome of this lawsuit remains to be seen, as Google has thus far refused to alter its mapping policies [1][3].

Google faces lawsuit by Mexico over mislabeling Gulf of Mexico as Gulf of America