Google won a court dismissal of publishers' antitrust suits over AI search summaries

A federal judge has ruled in favor of Google in lawsuits filed by Chegg and Penske Media Corporation over AI Overviews in Search. US District Judge Amit Mehta noted that the lawsuits were not based on a formal agreement with Google, but rather an "expectation." This marks the second significant setback for publishers this year, following a federal court dismissing a similar lawsuit against Google.

Ed-tech company Chegg had previously filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google in 2023 over the impact of AI Overviews on website traffic and affiliate revenues. Later, publisher Penske Media Corporation, which publishes magazines such as Billboard, Variety, and Rolling Stone, also filed its own lawsuit against Google. However, Judge Mehta's ruling sided with Google, stating that the claims in the lawsuits were not based on an agreement with the search giant, but rather an "expectation" (per Reuters).