US files appeal in Google search antitrust case

The US government and a majority of US states will appeal the outcome of a landmark antitrust case against Alphabet’s Google, according to court papers filed on Tuesday, as per Reuters.

A federal judge in Washington ruled in 2024 that Google holds a monopoly in the online search market but declined to impose the toughest remedies sought by antitrust enforcers.

The Department of Justice and state attorneys general did not detail the grounds for their appeal in court filings. The challenge is expected to focus on the judge’s refusal to order Google to sell its Chrome browser or end its payments to Apple to remain the default search engine on new devices.

Google is separately appealing US District Judge Amit Mehta’s finding that it violated antitrust law by blocking competition in online search and related advertising markets. The company has also asked the court to pause an order requiring it to share certain data with rivals while the appeal proceeds, a process that could take months.

Mehta rejected proposals to force Google to divest Chrome or its Android operating system, or to bar the company from paying tens of billions of dollars to Apple for default search placement.

In his ruling, the judge noted that generative AI companies, including OpenAI, have emerged as new competitive threats to Google since the case was filed five years ago by the Justice Department and dozens of states.

The decision marked a significant win for Google and a setback for US antitrust enforcers, reflecting judicial caution about imposing sweeping remedies in fast-changing technology markets.