A federal judge has ruled that Google's contracts making its search and AI services the default on devices must be limited to a maximum duration of one year, expanding on the remedies in the Department of Justice's antitrust case. Judge Amit Mehta's ruling requires Google to renegotiate these contracts annually, creating a fairer competitive environment for rival search engines. This decision follows Mehta's September ruling that Google would not need to sell off its Chrome browser as proposed by the DOJ. The case centers on Google's alleged illegal maintenance of an internet search monopoly through practices including paying companies like Apple to make its search engine the default on their devices and making exclusive deals around services like Search, Chrome, and Gemini. The September ruling had already put an end to these exclusive agreements and stipulated that Google must share some of its search data with competitors to address the competitive imbalance created by its actions. This latest ruling on contract duration represents another significant constraint on Google's ability to maintain its dominant position in the search market through long-term default agreements.

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