Google's monopoly case search procedures undergo restructuring, while Chrome and default arrangements remain unaffected by the court order

In a significant move, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta has ordered a shake-up of Google's search engine in an attempt to curb an illegal monopoly. This ruling, made in a nearly five-year-old antitrust case brought by the U.S. Justice Department, could potentially pry open some of Google's closely guarded information about search.

The lawsuit against Google, filed during President Donald Trump's administration, seeks to break up Google's digital ad empire in another proposed trial scheduled to begin later this month. However, the judge's decision does not call for a sale of Google's Chrome browser.

The judge's ruling aims to offer the best and fairest way to foster more compelling competition by forcing Google to open up parts of its search data to rivals such as DuckDuckGo, Bing, and others. This move is intended to rein in Google by prohibiting some tactics used to drive traffic to its search engine and other services.

The handcuffs being slapped on Google will preclude contracts that give Google's search engine, Gemini AI app, Play Store for Android, and virtual assistant an exclusive position on smartphones, personal computers, and other devices. This decision could potentially level the playing field for Google's competitors.

The stock price of Alphabet Inc., Google's corporate parent, surged more than 7% in extended trading following the ruling. This surge would translate into a nearly $200 billion increase in Alphabet's market value, if the shares follow a similar trajectory in Wednesday's regular trading session. Apple's shares also rose 3% in extended trading after the ruling came out.

Google has already vowed to appeal the judge's monopoly findings issued 13 months ago. The Mountain View, California, company framed the ruling as a vindication of its long-held position that the case never should have been brought.

Interestingly, Perplexity submitted an unsolicited $34.5 billion offer to buy Chrome last month, and a ChatGPT executive expressed interest in buying Chrome during court testimony earlier this year. However, the judge's ruling does not directly address these offers.

In hearings earlier this year, Apple cautioned that banning the default search deals could have the unintended consequence of making Google even more powerful. Apple warned the judge that such a move could deprive the company of money used for innovative research.

The Justice Department's antitrust chief, Gail Slater, hailed the decision as a "major win for the American people." Slater believes this decision will foster a more competitive market and prevent Google from misusing its dominance in the digital advertising industry.

As the case continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how Google will respond to the judge's ruling and whether this will indeed lead to a more competitive search market.

Google's monopoly case search procedures undergo restructuring, while Chrome and default arrangements remain unaffected by the court order