Google antitrust dispute: US government appeals
The US Department of Justice has appealed the antitrust proceedings against Google. An end to the legal dispute is not in sight.
The ruling by the US District Court is met with resistance from both Google and the US Department of Justice.
(Image: Schager/Shutterstock.com)
The antitrust dispute over Google's search engine monopoly is entering the next round. The US Department of Justice announced that it will appeal the court's final ruling, which defines the measures against Google. While it is not yet clear what exactly the appeal will target, the move signals that the US government considers the current conditions insufficient.
In August 2024, the court ruled that Google indeed holds an illegal search engine monopoly. A year later, however, Judge Amit Mehta decided against harsher measures such as the forced sale of Chrome or Android. Also, the double-digit billion payments to Apple to be the default search engine on new devices were allowed to continue. Critics described the ruling as insufficient and called for stricter laws.
Data sharing instead of breakup
Instead of a breakup, the court opted for a controlled market opening: Google will have to make its search data accessible to rivals in the future. Furthermore, the ruling prohibited future exclusive contracts for its search or AI tools, with which the company had previously tried to keep competing offerings off the market. The final ruling was issued in December.
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In January, Google filed an appeal and asked the judge to suspend the order to share data with competitors while the appeal is pending. This appeal is now followed by an appeal from the plaintiffs themselves, which objects to the measures issued by the court. Thus, the legal dispute enters the next instance, with all aspects of the ruling, from the monopoly determination to the remedial measures, now being scrutinized. If neither party accepts the ruling of the next instance, the case could ultimately land before the Supreme Court.
The antitrust proceedings date back to the first Trump administration and have been ongoing for more than five years. The proceedings are considered groundbreaking for the future regulation of the entire tech industry. It could have far-reaching consequences for how digital markets function worldwide.
(afl)
