US judge dismisses Chegg and Penske antitrust suits over Google AI Overviews

October 1, 2026 at 10:20 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

US District Judge Amit Mehta dismissed antitrust lawsuits filed by Chegg and Penske Media Corporation against Google over AI-powered search features. The publishers claimed Google diverted traffic and forced free content for AI Overviews. Mehta ruled their expectation of search traffic is not an agreement under antitrust law.

Key Facts

US District Judge Amit Mehta dismissed the antitrust lawsuits on Wednesday, October 1, 2026.
Chegg and Penske Media Corporation filed the lawsuits in 2025, accusing Google of abusing monopoly power.
Judge Mehta stated that an expectation of search traffic is not an agreement, but simply how a general search engine works.
Google is paying around 100 publishers for contributions to AI Overviews, AI Mode, and Gemini under a pilot program, according to The Information.

The Lawsuits

Chegg and Penske Media Corporation filed separate antitrust lawsuits against Google in 2025. The plaintiffs alleged that Google's AI-powered search features, including AI Overviews, diverted traffic away from their websites and harmed revenue. Chegg claimed Google illegally scraped its educational content, allowing Gemini models to recreate that content and reduce site traffic. Penske, owner of Rolling Stone and Variety, argued it was unfair that sites indexed for organic search had their content harvested for AI answers with no opt-out.

Judge's Ruling

Judge Amit Mehta ruled that the publishers' expectation of receiving search traffic in exchange for free content does not constitute an agreement. Mehta wrote that an expectation is not an agreement; it is simply how a general search engine works. He added that antitrust law cannot replace a legislative body's decision on the economic impact of new innovations. Mehta previously made a landmark antitrust ruling against Google in 2024.

Google's AI Publisher Program

Google is paying around 100 publishers for their contributions to AI Overviews, AI Mode, and Gemini as part of a pilot program. The program was reported by The Information, indicating Google's efforts to compensate publishers for AI content.