(Bloomberg) — Alphabet Inc.’s Google is appealing a landmark antitrust decision that the company illegally monopolized online search and search advertising, an expected move that will likely delay the implementation of changes to the company’s business.
The notice of Google’s appeal was filed Friday in Washington federal court, along with a request to put the lower-court ruling on hold while the appeal is pending. The DC Circuit Court of Appeals will likely hear the case later this year. The court, which hears many appeals related to the federal government, takes about a year to issue a decision after an appeal notice is filed, according to statistics compiled by the US Courts.
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The case, filed in 2020 during the first Trump administration, went to trial in the fall 2023.
US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled in August 2024 that the company illegally monopolized the search market through contracts with Apple Inc. and other smartphone makers such as Samsung Electronics Co. that required its search engine be used as the default. Those deals, for which Google pays more than $20 billion annually, blocked rivals from key distribution channels, the judge found.
After holding a second trial in spring 2025, Mehta rejected a bid by the Justice Department to force the sale of Google’s popular Chrome browser. He held that Google can continue to pay for its search engine and AI apps to be the default option, but required that the deals be rebid every year to allow rivals more opportunities to compete.
Market reactions to the remedy have been positive. Google’s stock soared 56% since the September decision as investors see the search giant as gaining the lead in artificial intelligence.
–With assistance from Josh Sisco.
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