Google has announced plans to appeal a U.S. court ruling that found it guilty of maintaining an illegal monopoly in the online search market, a decision that threatens to upend the company’s dominance in the digital economy.
The appeal comes amid intensifying legal and regulatory challenges confronting the tech giant across several fronts, as it seeks to protect its business model and the powerful grip it holds over the internet’s most lucrative entry points.
In a post on X on Saturday, Google said it “still strongly believes the Court’s original decision was wrong” and expressed confidence in overturning the ruling on appeal. The statement follows a Friday hearing where the Justice Department laid out proposed remedies that would reshape how Google operates—chief among them a call to break off its Chrome browser and prohibit exclusivity deals that keep Google Search as the default on devices.
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The landmark case, which began in 2020 and culminated in a ruling in August 2024 by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, concluded that Google’s tactics to secure search dominance—such as paying billions to phone manufacturers and browser developers—constituted unlawful monopolization. The ruling marked one of the most significant antitrust victories against a tech company since the Microsoft case over two decades ago.
But the Justice Department is not stopping at a legal win. It is pressing for structural remedies that would significantly curb Google’s control of the search and browser markets. These include forcing Google to divest from Chrome, banning exclusive deals with smartphone makers, and compelling the company to share data that powers its search engine—data it gathers through users of Chrome and Android.
In response, Google has argued that the DOJ’s proposals are overreaching and lack justification grounded in consumer welfare.
“While we heard a lot about how the remedies would help various well-funded competitors (with repeated references to Bing), we heard very little about how all this helps consumers,” the company said on Saturday.
Google has instead proposed what it calls “targeted” remedies. These would allow smartphone manufacturers to pre-install the Google Play Store without being required to include Google Search or Chrome. The company insists that its services are chosen because of their quality, not because of coercive arrangements.
The trial also explored how Google’s dominance could affect future developments in artificial intelligence. Judge Mehta acknowledged that while Google currently leads in online search, AI is emerging as a disruptive force. However, the Justice Department has raised alarms that Google’s existing dominance may allow it to extend that control into the AI space as well, stifling potential rivals before they gain traction.
Google is not only under fire in the United States. Similar legal scrutiny is playing out globally, from the European Union to India, where regulators are increasingly challenging Google’s bundling of services, its ad-tech practices, and the sheer scale of user data it commands.
In Europe, the company has already been fined billions for anti-competitive behavior involving Android and shopping search features. In India, the competition regulator has ordered Google to decouple its mobile apps from Android, echoing concerns raised in the U.S. case.
Despite the mounting legal pressure, Google remains defiant and determined to preserve its sprawling ecosystem, which includes not just Search and Chrome, but Android, YouTube, and the Google Play Store. The company has maintained that any forced break-up would undermine the seamless integration users value, and instead of fostering competition, could damage innovation and consumer experience.
A final decision on the penalties and remedies in the U.S. case is expected by August. But regardless of the outcome, the case signals a shift in how governments confront Big Tech. The stakes have never been higher for Google— the giant, not only must convince the courts but must also fend off a rising tide of global regulators eager to curtail its dominance.
