Google Wins Big in AI Overview Lawsuits

A federal judge has sided with Google in separate lawsuits brought by Chegg and Penske Media Corporation over AI Overviews in Search.

Chegg, an ed-tech company, filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google last year, alleging that the search giant's AI Overviews were affecting website traffic and affiliate revenues.

Publisher Penske Media Corporation, which owns publications like Billboard, Variety, and Rolling Stone, later joined the suit. However, US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that the claims weren't based on a formal agreement with Google, but an 'expectation.'

The judge noted that plaintiffs had pleaded only that they have an 'expectation' that Google will send them search traffic if they make their content available for free.