WashingtonChegg and Penske lost their antitrust suits against Google.
The ruling is a setback for publishers losing traffic to Google’s AI Overviews.
Judge Amit Mehta ruled Google had no formal agreement with either company, and an expectation of search traffic is not one.
Mehta wrote that the court is not unsympathetic to publishers, but antitrust law cannot replace legislation.
The European Commission is weighing the same questions, while the UK has ordered an AI opt-out.
How each outlet framed it
drawn from 100+ reports worldwide
- Ars Technica leans critical
- quotes Judge Mehta's reasoning: expectation of traffic is not a legal agreement, just how search engines work
Sources: Ars Technica