A US federal judge has dismissed antitrust lawsuits filed by Chegg and Penske Media against Google, ruling that the company’s AI search practices do not violate antitrust laws.
The lawsuits, filed in 2025, accused Google of using AI overviews to reduce traffic to websites by scraping their content for Gemini models.
The judge determined that Google’s actions do not constitute an illegal agreement with publishers, as the company has no formal arrangement with either Chegg or Penske.
The judge, Amit Mehta, emphasized that antitrust law applies only to formal agreements, not to the general operation of search engines.
He noted that the plaintiffs argued Google should send traffic to their sites if they made content freely available, but he dismissed this as an expectation rather than a binding contract.
Mehta acknowledged the potential harm to publishers but ruled that the legal framework does not support antitrust claims in this case.
Google has faced legal challenges over its AI search practices, including a long-running antitrust case brought by the DOJ. While the government found Google violated the law, it did not secure the penalties it sought.
Mehta’s ruling aligns with this precedent, stating that antitrust laws cannot be applied beyond their written scope. The judge also expressed sympathy for publishers’ concerns, noting the broader impact on online creators whose content is used without compensation.
The case highlights the tension between innovation and fair compensation in the AI era. While Google’s approach to AI search may be economically harmful to publishers, the judge ruled that such harm does not equate to an illegal act.
The company will likely face more legal challenges, but without new legislation, it will struggle to defend its practices in US courts. Publishers may find more support abroad, where regulatory bodies are more critical of Big Tech.
Google is exploring ways to compensate publishers for their content, including a pilot program, but it has not yet resolved the issue. The company has not stated whether it will change its approach, and the legal and economic implications of AI search remain unclear. Publishers continue to seek solutions to protect their content and traffic.
Source: arstechnica
