US moves to challenge limited remedies in Google search antitrust ruling

The United States government, along with a majority of state governments, has filed an appeal against the outcome of a high-profile antitrust case involving Google’s search business. Court filings show that the appeal follows a 2024 ruling by a federal judge in Washington, who concluded that Google holds a monopoly in online search but declined to impose the most stringent corrective measures sought by regulators.

While the appeal documents do not outline specific arguments, the challenge is expected to centre on the court’s refusal to mandate structural remedies. These include proposals that would have required Google to divest its Chrome browser or terminate its long-standing agreement with Apple that makes Google the default search engine on new devices.

Google, for its part, has already moved to contest the ruling. The company is appealing the finding that it violated competition law to protect its dominance in search and search-related advertising. It has also asked the court to pause an order requiring it to share certain data with competitors while the appeal process is underway, a process that could extend over several months.

The judge had previously rejected calls to force the sale of Chrome or the Android operating system, as well as a ban on payments worth tens of billions of dollars made to secure default search placement. He also noted that the competitive landscape has evolved since the case was filed, with generative artificial intelligence firms emerging as new challengers. The decision marked a significant victory for Google and underscored the hurdles faced by US antitrust authorities in pursuing aggressive interventions in rapidly changing technology markets.