Federal Judge Says Google Can Only Hog Your Search Button For a Year
KEY POINTS
- •Federal Judge Amit Mehta ruled in December 2025 that Google must limit default search and AI app contracts to one year.
- •This follows the 2024 finding that Google illegally monopolized the online search and advertising markets, prompting new restrictions.
- •Google now has to renegotiate deals annually with companies like Apple and Samsung and must share some search data with competitors.
Judge Amit Mehta, in a December 2025 ruling, decreed that Google must renew default search and AI app contracts—yes, those cozy deals on your iPhone or Samsung—every single year. This stunning antitrust move follows his 2024 bombshell finding that Google broke the law by monopolizing online search and advertising like a digital behemoth at an all-you-can-search buffet. Alphabet’s prized $billions-in-revenue Apple and Samsung shuffle won’t be quite so long-lasting anymore, as Google now can’t lock in default spots for years without a yearly performance review. Meanwhile, in another twist, Google must share some search ranking data with competitors, because apparently ‘keep the magic secret’ lost favor with Judge Mehta. Neither Google nor the Justice Department have bothered to comment, perhaps too busy prepping their 'renegotiation dance.'
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Google just got the court-ordered version of a subscription renewal nightmare: your default search option now expires every 365 days, because nothing says competition like yearly digital speed dating.
Google’s default search contracts are like bad gym memberships: locked in forever, but now you can cancel annually without penalty.
Judge Mehta went full Marie Kondo on Google’s contracts—anything that monopolizes longer than a year just doesn’t spark joy anymore.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 12/6/2025 | Author: Katherine Li
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