The U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division has secured court-ordered remedies in its case against Google, addressing the company’s practices in online search and related technologies. In United States et al. v. Google, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued an order that bars Google from making or maintaining exclusive contracts for distributing Google Search, Chrome, Google Assistant, and the Gemini app.
The ruling also requires Google to provide certain search index and user-interaction data to competitors and to offer search and search text ads syndication services to enable other companies to compete in the market.
According to the court’s decision, these remedies are intended to open up the general search services market, which has seen little change for more than a decade. The court noted that similar anticompetitive tactics should not be used by Google in connection with its generative AI (GenAI) products, extending the scope of the remedies.
“This decision marks an important step forward in the Department of Justice’s ongoing fight to protect American consumers. Under President Trump’s leadership, we will continue our legal efforts to hold companies accountable for monopolistic practices,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
“The first Trump administration sued Google to restore competition for millions of Americans subjected to Google’s monopoly abuses. Today, the second Trump administration has won a remedy to do just that,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “We will continue to review the opinion to consider the Department’s options and next steps regarding seeking additional relief. I am immensely proud of the dedicated public servants of the Antitrust Division and their tireless work on this case alongside our state partners.”
The lawsuit was initially filed during President Trump’s first term in October 2020 and joined by eleven State Attorneys General at that time. As proceedings continued, more states became involved; ultimately, 49 states, two territories, and the District of Columbia joined with federal authorities in seeking today’s remedies.
Under these measures, Google is prohibited from making agreements that tie licensing or revenue sharing for one application to requirements about distributing or placing other Google applications on devices or browsers. Restrictions also prevent requiring such agreements last longer than one year or blocking partners from working with competing products.
Google must also share certain data with competitors and provide access to advertising syndication services so rivals can improve their own offerings and better compete with Google.
A bench trial began in September 2023 and lasted nine weeks before a 277-page opinion was released by the court in August 2024 finding that “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly” under Section 2 of the Sherman Act. The current decision follows a subsequent 15-day trial focused on remedies held in May 2025.
