A federal judge rules Google can keep its Chrome browser but must end exclusive deals that bolster its search monopoly.
Google is required to share some search index and user-interaction data with 'Qualified Competitors' to level the playing field.
Despite the ruling, Google can continue paying partners like Apple to remain the default search provider, a deal worth $20 billion annually.
The DOJ views the ruling as a win, but Google plans to appeal, potentially prolonging the legal battle.
Google faces additional legal challenges, including an upcoming antitrust trial for its ad tech business.
A federal judge ruled Google won't have to sell its Chrome browser in its landmark antitrust case, but the company is now barred from the exclusive deals that helped build its search monopoly and must share some data with rivals.
Reading the fine print: The six-year order prohibits Google from locking partners into exclusive distribution deals for its key products, from Search and Chrome to Assistant and the Gemini AI. To help level the playing field, the company must also provide 'Qualified Competitors' with access to some of its search index and user-interaction data.
The $20 billion loophole: The judgment wasn't the total victory the DOJ had sought, as Google can keep paying partners like Apple—a deal reportedly worth $20 billion a year—to remain the default search provider. Judge Amit Mehta reasoned that cutting off the payments would cause "substantial—in some cases, crippling—downstream harms" to partners and consumers.
Gazing into the crystal ball: While Google's VP of regulatory affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland, expressed "concerns about how these requirements will impact our users and their privacy," the DOJ framed the outcome as a win. Judge Mehta acknowledged that the rise of generative AI poses a "near term threat" to search, noting, "here the court is asked to gaze into a crystal ball and look to the future... Not exactly a judge’s forte."
Google dodged the DOJ's biggest bullet, but the ruling chips away at the walls around its search kingdom. The fight isn't over, and with an appeal planned, this legal saga could drag on for years. Meanwhile, Google's legal battles continue on other fronts, with a separate antitrust remedies trial for its ad tech business set to begin soon. The company is also still navigating the fallout from its app store monopoly loss to Fortnite-maker Epic Games. And in a sign of the high stakes, AI-startup Perplexity had reportedly been ready with a $34.5 billion bid for Chrome had the judge forced a sale.
