Google Appeals Landmark Antitrust Ruling on Search Monopoly

On May 22, 2026, Alphabet’s Google petitioned the D.C. Circuit to overturn Judge Amit P. Mehta’s 2024 finding that the company violated antitrust law by securing default-search placement and ordering data sharing with rivals. Google says the judge misapplied antitrust standards and exceeded his authority.

New York TimesGoogle appeals antitrust ruling labeling it a search monopolyBenzingaThe Verge

The DOJ sued Google in 2020, alleging exclusive contracts with Apple, Mozilla and others unlawfully cemented its search dominance. The court deemed the $20 billion annual Apple deal exclusive and illegal in August 2024, and a 2025 order upheld the data-sharing requirement while rejecting a Chrome breakup.

AppleInsider

The case involves Google (Alphabet Inc.), the DOJ, Judge Amit P. Mehta, Apple, Mozilla, Microsoft (Bing) and AI firm OpenAI.

Google appeals antitrust ruling labeling it a search monopoly

$20 billion per year goes to Apple for default-search placement; the 2024 order required sharing certain search data with rivals, including OpenAI; Alphabet’s Class A shares fell 1.21% to $382.97 after the filing.

Benzinga

Google says its conduct was lawful, noting it built a superior search engine through innovation. The DOJ argues the contracts unfairly limited competition and seeks broader remedies, such as divesting Chrome. Judge Mehta called the deals antitrust violations and justified data sharing as corrective.

New York Times

The DOJ and a coalition of states say the deals blocked rivals like Bing and that the data-sharing remedy is insufficient. Critics also question classifying AI firms as competitors, given generative-AI products were not substantial when the conduct occurred.

AppleInsider

Google describes the Apple partnership as a fair, independent choice; the DOJ calls it an illegal monopoly. The court has not yet ruled on whether AI companies without a general search engine fall under the data-sharing requirement.

AppleInsider

• “The court’s own findings establish that Google’s conduct was lawful,” — Google, filing

New York Times

• “Google just prevailed in the marketplace fair and square” — Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google VP of regulatory affairs

The Verge

• “as basic an error of antitrust law as a court can make,” — Google, filing

New York Times

• “extraordinary step of ordering Google to boost its competitors through data-transfer and syndication.” — Google filing

The Verge

• “It even pointed to Apple's conclusion that the Microsoft rival Bing was "inferior" and "horrible at monetizing advertising," "Google just prevailed in the marketplace fair and square," it declares.” — Apple (cited)

AppleInsider

The appeal could reshape antitrust enforcement in the digital economy, influence how search data is accessed by emerging AI services, and set precedent for future challenges to default-search arrangements.

Benzinga

The DOJ is slated to file a response by July 2026. The appellate decision may be appealed to the Supreme Court, potentially extending the litigation into 2027.

Google appeals antitrust ruling labeling it a search monopoly