The Mexican government has launched legal action against Google following the tech giant’s decision to label the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” for users in the United States and several other regions.
President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the lawsuit during a press conference on Friday, describing the move as a breach of international norms and warning of wider implications if corporations unilaterally adopt foreign government directives.
The dispute centres on a directive issued by US President Donald Trump early in his current term, instructing US government bodies to adopt the term “Gulf of America” in place of the traditional “Gulf of Mexico”. Google was among the first major platforms to implement the change, updating its Google Maps platform on 10 February 2025. While the term “Gulf of Mexico” remains in use for Mexican users, visitors from the US and many third countries now see “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)” or simply “Gulf of America”.
According to reporting by CBS News, the Sheinbaum administration had warned Google as early as February that legal proceedings would follow unless the company reversed its relabelling. Despite diplomatic overtures and formal letters sent to the firm, including correspondence shared by Sheinbaum from Google’s Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy, Cris Turner, the company has declined to amend its policy. Turner reportedly stated that Google had no intention of altering the current designation.
President Sheinbaum, addressing reporters on Friday, stated that “the only thing we want is compliance with the decree issued by the United States government”, but added that this decree “wouldn’t have the authority to name the entire Gulf, because that is an international attribution”. Sheinbaum reiterated that the United States may apply its chosen nomenclature within its own territorial waters, but not to areas falling under Mexican or Cuban jurisdiction.
“We couldn’t say anything about changing the name of a state, a mountain, or a lake,” Sheinbaum remarked. “The part of their territory that corresponds to them can be called whatever they decide. The part that corresponds to Mexico can’t be renamed. The part that corresponds to Cuba can’t be renamed, either. So, what we’re saying is, ‘Google, stick to what the United States government approved.’”
The lawsuit highlights mounting friction over the politicisation of geographic nomenclature and the role of private technology companies in implementing government policy. Although the US House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday to codify the name change, the legislation has yet to be tested in international legal forums or reflected in multilateral treaties.
The Trump administration has exerted considerable pressure on both public and private entities to adopt the new name. This included a ban on Associated Press reporters from Oval Office press briefings after the outlet refused to use “Gulf of America” in its coverage. That ban was overturned last month by a federal court ruling, which held that the exclusion violated constitutional protections for the free press.
While Google has complied with the Trump administration’s naming preference, other platforms have taken different approaches. Apple updated its Maps app shortly after Google’s change, aligning its labelling with the new White House directive. MapQuest, however, has not followed suit and currently maintains the original name, “Gulf of Mexico”, across its platforms. The site also features a page parodying the name change controversy.
At present, it is unclear what legal grounds Mexico will cite in its case against Google. No international law specifically prohibits the private labelling of maritime regions, but Mexico may invoke provisions related to sovereignty, naming rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), or obligations under international commercial law.
Google has yet to issue a public response to the Mexican government’s lawsuit. The case could set a precedent for how multinational corporations respond to conflicting national policies, especially where naming disputes intersect with international territorial claims.
The broader diplomatic impact remains to be seen, but tensions between the United States and Mexico have already been heightened by other policy disagreements since Trump’s return to office in January.
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