Alphabet's Google must share data with competitors to open up competition in online search, a judge in Washington ruled Tuesday, while rejecting prosecutors' bid to make the internet giant sell off its popular Chrome browser.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai expressed concerns at trial in the case in April that the data-sharing measures sought by the U.S. Department of Justice could enable Google's rivals to reverse-engineer its technology.

Google has said previously that it plans to file an appeal, which means it could take years before the company is required to act on U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta's ruling.

The ruling results from a five-year legal battle between one of the world's most profitable companies and its home country, the U.S., where Mehta ruled last year that the company holds an illegal monopoly in online search and related advertising.

At a trial in April, prosecutors argued for far-reaching remedies to restore competition and prevent Google from extending its dominance in search to artificial intelligence.

Google said the proposals go far beyond what is legally justified and would give away its technology to competitors.

In addition to the case over search, Google is embroiled in litigation over its dominance in other markets. The company recently said it will continue to fight a ruling requiring it to revamp its app store in a lawsuit won by "Fortnite" maker Epic Games. And Google is scheduled to go to trial in September to determine remedies in a separate case brought by the Justice Department where a judge found the company holds illegal monopolies in online advertising technology.

The Justice Department's two cases against Google are part of a larger bipartisan crackdown by the U.S. on Big Tech firms, which began during President Donald Trump's first term and includes cases against Meta Platforms, Amazon and Apple.