Google Challenges Antitrust Ruling, Citing Innovation in Search Market

Sat Jan 17 2026 14:42:49 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Google has officially appealed a landmark ruling that deemed its search practices monopolistic. The company argues that reliance on its services is voluntary, not coercive, and emphasizes the importance of ongoing innovation within the industry.

Google has filed an appeal against a significant antitrust decision by a U.S. District Judge which found the tech giant guilty of maintaining a monopoly in the online search market. Amidst this legal battle, the company insists that consumers choose Google of their own will and highlights the competitive landscape and rapid innovation it faces in technology. The ruling includes remedies aimed at reducing its monopoly power, which Google argues may compromise privacy and hinder competition.

Google has appealed a US district judge's landmark antitrust ruling that found the company illegally held a monopoly in online search.

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, Google's vice president for regulatory affairs Lee-Anne Mulholland said.

In its announcement on Friday, Google stated that Judge Amit Mehta's ruling did not account for the pace of innovation and intense competition that the company currently faces.

The company is requesting a pause on implementing a series of remedies that critics deem insufficient in curbing its monopoly power.

Judge Mehta had acknowledged the rapid changes in Google's business landscape, particularly highlighting the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on the ongoing case.

Despite government lawyers' request to break up Google, which included a potential separation of its Chrome browser, the judge opted for less stringent remedies. These include orders for Google to share crucial data with 'qualified competitors' to foster innovation.

Mulholland criticized the mandated sharing of search data, suggesting that it would jeopardize user privacy and deter competitors from developing their products, thus stifling the very innovation necessary for technological advancement.

Additionally, while Google has been heavily investing in AI, its projects have recently faced scrutiny, including a new investigation initiated by the EU regarding the use of website data for AI-generated summaries that appear above search results.

On a corporate level, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, recently reached a significant market valuation of $4 trillion, emphasizing its substantial presence in the tech industry.