Google Appeals Antitrust Ruling on Search Data Sharing and Defaults

Google has formally appealed a landmark federal antitrust ruling that found the company illegally maintained monopolies in online search and search advertising. The appeal, filed Friday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, challenges both the 2024 liability verdict and the subsequent remedies order that would force the company to share search data with rivals.

In its filing, Google argues that U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta made significant legal errors. The company contends its success stems from lawful competition, stating it developed a superior search engine through hard work, bold innovation, and shrewd business decisions. Google asserts it prevailed in the marketplace fair and square and that its agreements with partners like Apple were not exclusionary.

The core of the government’s case, which the Justice Department and a coalition of states won last year, centered on Google’s multibillion-dollar payments to companies like Apple to be the default search engine on devices like the iPhone. Judge Mehta ruled these deals illegally blocked competitors. In the remedies phase, he ordered Google to share certain search data and results with...