US court dismisses lawsuits against Google over AI Overviews — The Verge

US federal judge Amit Mehta dismissed two antitrust lawsuits against Google filed by education company Chegg and Penske Media Corporation, the parent company of Rolling Stone. The plaintiffs argued that Google’s artificial intelligence-powered search features divert traffic from their websites and harm revenue, The Verge reports.

Plaintiffs’ claims

In lawsuits filed last year, Chegg and Penske Media Corporation accused Google of abusing its monopoly position. According to the companies, the search engine forced publishers to provide content for AI Overviews free of charge, or else risk disappearing from search results.

The plaintiffs also stated that Google’s practice diverted traffic away from their websites, negatively affecting revenue.

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The court’s position

Judge Mehta disagreed with the arguments of Chegg and Penske Media Corporation. In his ruling, he stated that publishers’ expectation of receiving search traffic in exchange for providing content free of charge does not constitute an agreement between the parties, but describes the ordinary operating principle of a general search engine.

Mehta added that the court does not overlook publishers’ situation amid technological changes. At the same time, he said that antitrust law cannot replace a legislative body’s decision on the economic impact of new innovations.

According to The Information, Google is paying around 100 publishers for their contributions to AI Overviews, AI Mode and Gemini as part of a pilot program.