Following a landmark antitrust lawsuit, Google emerged not quite triumphant but far from bruised. Following a previous 2024 ruling which stated that ‘Google had built and maintained an illegal monopoly over the internet search business’, US Federal Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google could hold onto many of its biggest assets, including Android and Chrome.
However, the judge also ruled that Google can no longer enter exclusive distribution agreements for its search engine. This means that Google can no longer be the sole distributor of a product in the search space and must also share any data from its search results with competitors, a move which should help to level the playing field.
Also, in what was a turbulent week, Google was fined nearly €3bn by European Union regulators for ‘self-preferencing practices’ as part of a separate case that considered its dominant position in the ad tech space.
Google has been through similar trials before, but the most recent has had larger ramifications for the search industry. In 2017 and 2018, Google was handed fines. However, the 2025 outcome suggests we are seeing the shoots of deeper structural reforms of the advertising infrastructure – although we must await the outcome of Google’s appeal of the recent antitrust decision.
These structural reforms have twin beneficiaries. The first is Google’s direct search competitors. With access to Google’s wealth of search data, companies are free to offer advertisers an alternative platform without compromising on their predictor models. They also clearly benefit from the rescindment of Google’s right to exclusive distribution agreements as superior products will no longer be concentrated within Google’s domain. Without Google maintaining exclusive access, consumers may consider alternative platforms.
But while competitors may benefit from this ruling, it will also help put brands in the driving seat. Not only will they benefit from increased transparency to improve their ability to forecast costs and optimise campaigns, but they will also gain fairer access to alternative ad channels. This ruling may also grant brands greater planning freedom by diversifying search ad spend.
Google is likely to maintain its status as the main player in the search market. However, it is being increasingly challenged by competitors outside of the search engine category. LLMs such as ChatGPT now account for around 6% of desktop searches, a proportion that is set to grow.
While this isn’t the first legal threat Google has had to endure, it carries a significant impact for brands. Data from Google will now be more freely available and its search competitors are likely to become more competitive, which may allow brands to refine their approach.
