In a landmark decision that strikes at the core of Google's business model, a US federal judge has mandated the tech giant to renegotiate all contracts that make its search engine or AI applications the default on smartphones and other devices every single year. The ruling, delivered by Judge Amit Mehta on Friday, directly targets multi-billion dollar agreements that have long cemented Google's dominance across millions of devices worldwide.
Annual Reset for Multi-Billion Dollar Deals
The order requires Alphabet's Google to return to the negotiating table every 12 months for its lucrative default placement arrangements with key partners like Apple and Samsung. While the company can still pay to secure these prime spots, the annual reset is designed to create regular, structured opportunities for competitors. This is seen as a crucial opening for emerging players, especially in the fast-evolving field of generative AI search.
Judge Mehta stated that both Google and the US Justice Department indicated they could work within this one-year framework. "The court holds that a hard-and-fast termination requirement after one year would best carry out the purpose of the injunctive relief," he wrote in his decision.
Expanding Remedies to Cover Generative AI
This latest order builds upon Judge Mehta's previous ruling from September 2025, which rejected a government request to force Google to sell its Chrome browser but required the company to share valuable search data with rivals. That decision itself followed an August 2024 finding that Google had illegally monopolized the online search and search advertising markets through exclusive contracts.
Significantly, the new requirements explicitly extend to cover generative AI products and any application, software, or service involving large language models (LLMs). Judge Mehta emphasized the growing importance of this sector, noting that "genAI plays a significant role in these remedies," acknowledging the competitive threat posed by AI-powered search alternatives.
Technical Committee to Oversee Data Sharing
Friday's ruling also laid out detailed plans for a technical committee that will oversee the process of sharing Google's search data with competitors. This committee's members must be experts in fields including software engineering, artificial intelligence, and data privacy, and must have no conflicts of interest. They will be granted access to Google's closely guarded source code and algorithms under strict confidentiality agreements.
Google has stated its intention to appeal the initial monopoly ruling from 2024. The US Justice Department also retains the right to appeal this latest remedy decision. Neither party provided immediate comment following the Friday ruling.
The case represents one of the most significant antitrust actions in the tech industry in decades, with the potential to reshape the digital landscape by opening the door for greater competition in both traditional search and the next generation of AI-driven discovery tools.
