Google has lodged an appeal against a landmark US antitrust ruling that found the company illegally held a monopoly in online search.
The company is also seeking a pause on remedies ordered by US District Judge Amit Mehta, which aim to curb its market power without forcing a breakup.
What’s happening and why it matters
The appeal goes to the heart of how search distribution and data access work in a market now being reshaped by generative AI.
For advertisers, publishers, and tech platforms, the case is being closely watched because it could affect search visibility, traffic flows, and the terms under which competitors can access search infrastructure.
Google’s argument
Lee-Anne Mulholland, vice president for regulatory affairs at Google, said the company disagreed with the underlying decision. “As we have long said, the Court’s August 2024 ruling ignored the reality that people use Google because they want to, not because they’re forced to,” she said, as reported by the BBC.
In its Friday announcement, Google also argued the ruling did not reflect the pace of innovation or the level of competition it faces.
What Judge Mehta ordered
Judge Amit Mehta acknowledged a rapid change in Google’s business when he issued remedies in September, writing that the emergence of generative AI had changed the course of the case.
He rejected government lawyers’ push for a breakup that would include spinning off Chrome, the world’s most popular browser.
Instead, Mehta ordered remedies that included:
• Requiring Google to share certain data with “qualified competitors”, as determined by the court.
• Providing access to portions of Google’s search index, described as a massive inventory of web content.
• Allowing certain competitors to display Google search results as their own, to give them time and resources to innovate.
Privacy, competition, and syndication
Mulholland argued that forced data sharing and syndication would create risks. “These mandates would risk Americans’ privacy and discourage competitors from building their own products – ultimately stifling the innovation that keeps the U.S. at the forefront of global technology,” she wrote.
Some observers have described the remedies as too lenient, but Google is still asking the court to halt implementation while the appeal proceeds.
AI scrutiny is rising
The appeal comes as regulators also examine how AI is changing search. The BBC reported that the European Union opened an investigation last month into Google’s AI summaries that appear above search results.
The European Commission said it would probe whether Google used website data to provide the service and whether publishers were compensated appropriately. Google has said the investigation risks stifling innovation in a competitive market.