Google has filed a notice to appeal a federal judge’s ruling that the company holds an illegal monopoly on online search and text advertising.
In 2024, US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google maintained its dominance through exclusive distribution agreements, making its search engine the default option for most users.
The decision marked a significant moment in the government’s antitrust case against the tech giant.
On Friday, Google argued that the ruling overlooked consumer choice.
“People use Google because they want to, not because they’re forced to,” the company said in a statement.
Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s vice president of regulatory affairs, added in a blog post that the decision failed to recognize the rapid pace of innovation and the competition from established players and well-funded start-ups.
Google asked Judge Mehta to pause part of his order requiring the company to share search index data and user interaction information with rivals.
The company warned that complying could expose trade secrets before its appeal is resolved.
Mehta had imposed the data-sharing requirement while rejecting a separate government request that Google sell its Chrome web browser.
Google clarified that it is not seeking to delay other aspects of Mehta’s orders, including those related to privacy and security safeguards for user data.
“Although Google believes these remedies are unwarranted, it is prepared to do everything short of turning over its data or providing syndicated results and ads while its appeal is pending,” the company said.
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Well, I don’t know about illegal monopoly, but I do know in some feature phones, Google is the only available search engine.