Google is experiencing a sense of relief today. A judge has ruled that the company will not be obligated to divest Chrome or Android, proposals put forth by the U.S. Department of Justice following Google’s defeat in a major antitrust case last August. On Tuesday, Sept. 2, District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington rejected the DOJ’s suggestion to dismantle Google. Instead, Judge Mehta mandated that Google refrain from entering into exclusive agreements for its search engine, such as compensating Apple billions to retain search supremacy on iOS devices. Furthermore, Google is required to share certain search data with its rivals.

The judge’s ruling marks a conclusion in one of Google’s antitrust disputes, which have continued from the administration of President Donald Trump through the Biden administration and into Trump’s second term. Google is also entangled in a separate antitrust matter related to digital advertising, which it lost in April.

In spite of the judge’s ruling, Google intends to appeal the decision, as Judge Mehta indicated that the company was behaving like a monopoly, dominating 90 percent of the search market through exclusive agreements such as the one with Apple. Nonetheless, Judge Mehta’s refusal to disband Google is likely viewed as favorable for both Google and other Silicon Valley firms facing antitrust challenges.

Some companies, including OpenAI and Perplexity, may not appreciate the ruling, as they were keen on acquiring the Chrome web browser had Google been compelled to sell it. That possibility is now off the table.