Google has avoided the harshest penalties in the long-running U.S. antitrust case targeting its search business, after a federal judge ruled that the company could keep its Chrome browser and Android operating system. The decision, delivered by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, ended months of speculation over whether regulators would push for a breakup of the company’s most valuable platforms.
The case began in September 2023, when the Department of Justice filed its landmark suit alleging that Google illegally maintained a monopoly in internet search. In August 2024, the court found that the company had violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act by using contracts and distribution deals to lock out competitors. The latest ruling addressed remedies, with the DOJ seeking aggressive measures such as forcing Google to divest Chrome or Android. Judge Mehta rejected those proposals, calling them an overreach beyond the scope of the search monopoly findings.
Instead, the judgment focused on distribution practices. Google is now prohibited from entering into exclusive agreements that require its search engine to be the sole default on devices or browsers. The company can still pay partners to preload services like Search, Chrome, or its generative AI tools, but those arrangements cannot enforce exclusivity. This directly affects one of the most scrutinized deals in the case: Google pays Apple billions each year to remain the default search engine on iPhones. The ruling does not ban such payments outright, but ensures that Apple and other partners are free to offer competing options alongside Google Search.
Another key element of the ruling is data sharing. Google must provide rivals with certain search index and user interaction data on ordinary commercial terms. This includes information needed to improve general search services, such as user click data, but excludes advertising datasets. Regulators argued that this requirement is necessary to prevent Google from leveraging its massive data advantage to maintain dominance.
The court also extended the remedies to generative AI. Regulators said that the future of search and AI are closely connected, and the decision ensures that Google cannot replicate the same anticompetitive tactics in emerging AI markets.
Google said it is reviewing the decision and raised concerns that mandatory data sharing could compromise user privacy. The company also noted that the court’s refusal to order divestitures showed recognition that breaking up Chrome or Android would have gone beyond the focus of the case and risked harming consumers and partners.
Judge Mehta has ordered Google and the Department of Justice to meet by September 10, 2025, to finalize the remedies. The ruling imposes meaningful restrictions on Google’s practices, but allows the company to retain control of its core platforms. The outcome signals a shift in U.S. antitrust enforcement, with regulators focusing on targeted conduct remedies rather than structural breakups.
