DOJ Wins Landmark Antitrust Case Against Google, Orders Sweeping Remedies to Restore Competition

In a historic ruling, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division has won significant remedies in its monopolization case against Google, targeting the tech giant’s dominance in online search and expanding oversight into generative AI products.

In United States et al. v. Google, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a sweeping decision to curb Google’s monopoly power. According to the DOJ, the court “prohibited Google from entering or maintaining exclusive contracts relating to the distribution of Google Search, Chrome, Google Assistant, and the Gemini app; ordered Google to make certain search index and user-interaction data available to rivals and potential rivals; and ordered Google to offer search and search text ads syndication services to enable rivals and potential rivals to compete.”

The remedies are designed to dismantle Google’s stranglehold on the general search market, which regulators argued had been “frozen in place for over a decade.” Importantly, the court also extended its reach to prevent Google from applying the same anticompetitive tactics in the fast-growing GenAI sector.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi celebrated the decision, stating: “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.”

Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater, who heads the Antitrust Division, emphasized the historic nature of the case: “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.”

Slater added that the DOJ will continue to review the court’s opinion and consider “additional relief” if necessary, while praising the “tireless work” of Antitrust Division staff and state partners.

The case reflects one of the broadest antitrust coalitions in U.S. history. Originally filed in October 2020 with support from 11 state attorneys general, the lawsuit eventually grew to include 49 states, two territories, and the District of Columbia.

This unity, the DOJ notes, shows the shared concern that Google’s business practices harmed competition, innovation, and consumer choice.

Evidence presented in court detailed how Google maintained its dominance:

• Exclusive agreements ensured Google remained the preset default search engine on billions of devices.
• Contracts prohibited preinstallation of rival search engines.
• Google leveraged its monopoly profits to purchase preferential treatment, creating a “self-reinforcing cycle of monopolization” that limited competition and reduced innovation.

As the DOJ summarized: “For years, Google accounted for approximately 90 percent of all search queries in the United States, and Google used anticompetitive tactics to maintain and extend its monopolies in search and search advertising.”

This week’s decision followed a 15-day remedies trial in May 2025, where the court crafted measures to not only break up Google’s entrenched search dominance but also prevent similar conduct in the emerging AI landscape.

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