In a setback for publishers worried about the effects of AI search, a US federal judge has dismissed lawsuits filed by Chegg and Penske Media against Google. The companies accused Google of antitrust violations in products like AI overviews, which have led to decreasing traffic at numerous sites. However, US District Judge Amit Mehta has ruled that Google’s conduct is not illegal under antitrust law.
The lawsuits were filed in 2025, and Google requested a dismissal earlier this year. Chegg, an education and learning platform, claimed in its lawsuit that Google illegally scraped its educational content. This allowed Gemini models to essentially recreate that content and reduce the site’s traffic. Penske, which owns publications like Rolling Stone and Variety, filed a similar case that alleged lost traffic. Specifically, the publisher claimed it was unfair that sites indexed for organic search would also have their content harvested for AI answers, with no way to opt out.
These arguments did not sway the judge, who noted that Google’s implicit agreement with websites is not legally relevant. “Plaintiffs have pleaded only that they have an ‘expectation’ that Google will send them search traffic if they make their content available for free,” wrote Mehta. “But an expectation is not an agreement. It is simply how a general search engine works.”
Lions and cheetahs and chimps, oh my: a spotlight on Africa's diverse wildlife
October 4, 2026
ரீசார்ஜ் செய்ய இனி கஷ்டம் இல்லை.. 30 நாட்கள் அவகாசம்.. டெலிகாம் நிறுவனங்களுக்கு பறந்த உத்தரவு..
October 4, 2026
All hail electrification. But let’s talk about the hard part.
October 4, 2026
Milt Windler, NASA flight director who helped save Apollo 13, dies at 94
October 3, 2026
Capcom is preparing for a ‘future where we create games together with AI’
October 3, 2026
Splice CEO Kakul Srivastava thinks AI emails are killing conversations
October 3, 2026
Newport Beach Film Fest: ‘Furious’ Star Emmy Rossum Will Receive TV Performance Award, Guest on Live Episode of ‘Awards Chatter’ Pod
October 4, 2026
Elvis Costello on His Early Days: The Birth of ‘My Aim Is True’
October 4, 2026
J. Todd Anderson, ‘The Nice Guys’ and ‘The Big Lebowski’ Storyboard Artist, Dies at 67
October 4, 2026
Green Party members back 'Zionism is racism' motion
October 4, 2026
Polls close in Bosnia-Herzegovina's divisive election
October 4, 2026
Trump Launches Bizarre Sunday Posting Spree—From 'Crumbling' Kennedy Center To Greenland Memes
October 4, 2026