Google has appealed a major antitrust ruling from a US district judge over its search business. The court found that the company unlawfully maintained dominance in online search.
Google said people use its services by choice rather than obligation. Lee-Anne Mulholland, vice president for regulatory affairs, responded to the August 2024 decision. She said the court failed to reflect how consumers actually choose search tools.
Tech giant disputes findings on competition
Google announced the appeal on Friday and challenged Judge Amit Mehta’s reasoning. The company said the ruling ignored rapid innovation in the technology sector. It also said the decision underestimated competitive pressure from rivals.
Google asked the court to delay enforcement of the remedies. Some commentators already viewed those measures as limited. Google said immediate implementation would cause unnecessary harm.
Judge recognises AI impact but blocks breakup
Judge Mehta acknowledged swift changes in Google’s business when he set remedies in September. He wrote that generative artificial intelligence reshaped the case.
He rejected a government request to break up the company. That plan included spinning off Chrome, the world’s most widely used browser.
Instead, the judge ordered narrower actions. Those steps required Google to share selected data with competitors approved by the court.
Orders to share search data face resistance
The data would include parts of Google’s search index. That index works as a vast catalogue of online content.
Judge Mehta also ordered Google to let certain rivals show its search results. He said the move would give smaller companies time and resources to innovate.
Mulholland criticised the requirements on Friday. She said forced data sharing and syndication threatened privacy and weakened innovation incentives.
AI ambitions draw growing global scrutiny
Google has expanded investment in artificial intelligence across its services. Regulators have increased scrutiny of how those tools affect competition and publishers.
Last month, the European Union opened an investigation into Google’s AI summaries. Those summaries appear above standard search results.
The European Commission said it would review Google’s use of website content. It also questioned whether publishers received fair payment. Google said the probe risked hindering innovation in a competitive market.
This week, Google parent Alphabet reached a market value of four trillion dollars. Only three other companies have ever reached that milestone.
