Google has previously said it plans to file an appeal in its ruling.
Released on September 2, 2025
To open the competition in online searches, Alphabet’s Google will need to share data with competitors.
The decision reported Tuesday rejects a prosecutor’s bid to ensure the internet giant sells its popular chrome browser.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai expressed concern at the April trial, saying the data sharing measures sought by the U.S. Department of Justice could help Google rivals turn its technology back.
Google has previously said it plans to file an appeal. This means it could take years for the company to act on the decision of US District Judge Amit Mehta.
Mehta also prohibits Google from entering into exclusive agreements that prohibit device manufacturers from preinstalling rival products on new devices.
Google had argued that loosening contracts with device makers, browser developers and mobile network operators was the only appropriate remedy in this case. The latest deals with device makers Samsung Electronics and Motorola, as well as Wireless Carriers At&T and Verizon, have now allowed rival search products to be loaded, according to documents presented at the trial.
The ruling stems from a five-year legal battle between one of the world’s most profitable companies and its home country, the United States, and Mehta last year determined that the company holds an illegal monopoly in online searches and related advertising.
At the April trial, prosecutors advocated widespread relief measures to restore competition and prevent Google from expanding its search control on artificial intelligence.
Google said the proposal goes far beyond what is legally justified and will provide the technology to its competitors.
In addition to cases of over-search, Google has been caught up in lawsuits over control in other markets.
The company recently said it will continue to fight an ruling demanding that it revamp the App Store in a lawsuit won by “Fortnite” maker Epic Games.
Google will also be taking court to decide on a relief package for another case filed by the Department of Justice in September. The judge determined that the company held an illegal monopoly in online advertising technology.
The two Justice Department cases against Google began during President Donald Trump’s first term and are part of a larger, bipartisan crackdown by the US over major high-tech companies that include cases against Metaplatforms, Amazon and Apple.
Alphabet’s shares closed a 0.7% drop that day, but rose 6% in after-hours trading as of 4:30pm (20:30 GMT) in New York.
