Google Wins Antitrust Case Over Search Distribution Deals

Google has defeated an antitrust lawsuit filed by consumers who claimed the company's search distribution deals prevented rival search engines from entering the market. The plaintiffs, led by Mary Katherine Arcell, alleged that Google's agreements with Apple and others gave it a monopoly on search due to its ability to block more privacy-protective and ad-free alternatives.

The lawsuit was dismissed by U.S. District Court Judge Rita Lin in the Northern District of California, who stated that the plaintiffs lacked evidence for their claim. The judge wrote that 'they submit no expert report, deposition testimony, or declaration to show that better search options could have been available to them if Google had not entered these agreements.'

This ruling comes after a similar antitrust case was brought by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2020, which resulted in a win for the government in 2024. In that case, Judge Amit Mehta highlighted the privacy implications of Google's monopoly and noted that DuckDuckGo, a search engine that doesn't save users' IP addresses or unique identifiers, was hindered by Google's distribution deals.