A US federal judge has dismissed antitrust lawsuits from Chegg and Penske Media that challenged Google’s use of publisher content in AI-powered search answers. District Judge Amit Mehta acknowledged the economic harm alleged by publishers but ruled that the conduct described was not illegal under existing antitrust law.
Chegg argued that Google used its educational material to support Gemini-generated answers while reducing visits to Chegg’s site. Penske, owner of publications including Rolling Stone and Variety, said publishers cannot participate in ordinary search indexing without also having their work used for AI answers.
Mehta found no formal agreement requiring Google to send traffic in exchange for free access to indexed pages. An expectation of referrals, he wrote, is not itself an agreement. The ruling distinguishes potentially unfair effects from conduct that meets the legal requirements of an antitrust claim.
The dismissal does not settle broader questions about copyright, compensation or publisher controls. Mehta noted consequences for journalists, educators and other creators whose material is repurposed without payment, but said courts cannot replace legislation simply because innovation causes economic harm. Regulatory paths also differ by region: the UK has ordered an AI opt-out for sites that remain in organic search, while European authorities are considering related questions.