Catenaa, Friday, September 05, 2025- Google will not be forced to sell its Chrome web browser or Android operating system but must share some search data and scale back exclusive contracts, a U.S. federal judge ruled Tuesday in a landmark antitrust case.
District Judge Amit Mehta’s decision follows years of litigation over Google’s dominance in online search. The Justice Department had sought sweeping remedies, including the divestiture of Chrome, which generates billions in advertising revenue.
Instead, the court ordered narrower measures: Google must provide qualified competitors with limited access to its search index and user interaction data, while halting exclusive distribution deals for products including Chrome, Search, Assistant and Gemini.
The ruling comes after Mehta concluded last year that Google illegally maintained a monopoly in search. While critics, including rival DuckDuckGo, said the remedies fail to curb anticompetitive practices, others praised the decision for avoiding “draconian” measures that could disrupt markets.
Shares in Alphabet jumped more than 8% after the decision.
Analysts said the ruling preserves Google’s lucrative default search agreements with Apple and other partners, though under tighter scrutiny. Apple, Samsung and other device makers are expected to benefit from new flexibility in pre-loading alternative browsers and search tools.
Google, which denies wrongdoing, said the outcome recognizes changes in technology, particularly artificial intelligence, that are reshaping competition. The Justice Department is weighing whether to appeal, while Google faces another antitrust trial later this month focused on digital advertising.
