A US judge ruled on Tuesday that Google will have to share data with its other search engines for the sake of increasing competition in the sector.

In a 226-page decision, US District Judge Amit Mehta also rejected the prosecutors' demand to force the Alphabet-owned search engine to sell Google Chrome, the world's most popular internet browser, and the Android operating system for smartphones.

Google will file an appeal in the case, which could result in years going by without Alphabet having to act on the ruling.

What is Google saying?

According to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, the measures demanded by the US Department of Justice could result in the company's technology being given away to its competitors.

The ruling also bars Google from entering into exclusive agreements that would forbid companies from using rival operating systems on mobile devices.

The ruling is the result of a five-year-long legal battle between Alphabet and the US government. 

Last year, Judge Mehta ruled that Google holds an illegal monopoly in the sector of online search engines. Following that earlier ruling, prosecutors demanded far-reaching remedies to prevent the company from extending its search engine market control into dominance in the area of artificial intelligence.

AI giants like ChatGPT developer OpenAI and Perplexity are reportedly developing web browsers that will rival Google Chrome. 

Are there other court cases against Google?

Google is also facing legal claims in other markets it dominates, including its Android app store and online advertising.

The case is part of a larger bipartisan crackdown on the US's so-called Big Tech firms, including other cases against Meta, Amazon and Apple, with a similar legal effort being made in Europe.

Edited by: Wesley Dockery