US EditionGoogle stock jumps 8% after search giant avoids worst-case penalties in antitrust case
Judge Amit Mehta prohibits Google's exclusive contracts to curb antitrust violations but allows continued payments to partners; restrictions last six years in U.S. markets.
- On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ordered limits on Google's exclusive search and app contracts, but rebuffed the U.S. Justice Department's request to divest Chrome or Android as an 'overreach.'
- Last year, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta found Google violated section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act, highlighting distribution agreements that made Google the preloaded default and foreclosed rivals.
- Mehta's order targets exclusivity arrangements by forbidding contracts that condition Google Play Store licensing or revenue shares on Google Search, Chrome, Assistant, or Gemini preloading, with restrictions lasting six years.
- Mehta balanced remedies by declining a broad payment ban on multi-billion-dollar default-placement deals, citing generative AI's near-term threat to search and potential harms to distribution partners and consumers.
- Mehta ordered access to search data from trillions of queries, opening competitive avenues, and the decision aims to rein in Google's tactics, potentially reshaping competition as AI 'answer engines' challenge Google's role.
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Analysts are calling Google's antitrust decision 'broadly favorable' and 'benign'
Sundar Pichai speaks during a Google I/O conference.Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesGoogle avoided divesting Chrome in an antitrust ruling, boosting its stock 6.7% in after-hours trading.Analysts see the ruling as largely favorable for the search giant and raised Google's stock targets.Analysts called the decision "benign" and said it removed a "significant overhang" on the stock.The verdict on Google's lengthy lawsuit is out, and analysts say the s…
A judge certifies the company a monopoly in web search. However, he rejects the demand to hand over the Chrome browser or the Android operating system.
Washington. A U.S. federal judge on Tuesday rejected the U.S. government's demand that Google sell its Chrome web browser as part of a major antitrust case, but imposed measures to repair competition in online searches.The landmark ruling came after Judge Amit Mehta determined in August 2024 that Google illegally maintained monopolies in online searches through exclusive distribution agreements valued at billions of dollars annually.The judge's …
In the case against Google, US government claims were rejected, but the company will no longer be allowed to make exclusive deals with device manufacturers.
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