Source: The Star

Alphabet's Google filed an appeal on a Washington federal judge's 2024 ruling that found the company illegally held monopolies in online search and related advertising by paying billions annually to firms, including Apple, to be the default search engine on new devices. Google contends Judge Amit Mehta made legal errors in that ruling and argued the default arrangements did not prevent device makers and browser developers from promoting rival search services such as Microsoft's Bing.

Mehta had ordered Google to share some search data with competitors, potentially including artificial intelligence companies such as OpenAI, as a remedy intended to restore competition; an appeals court decision in Google's favor would overturn that order. The company said it succeeded fairly by developing a "superior search engine through hard work, bold innovation, and shrewd business decisions." The U.S. Department of Justice is expected to file its own arguments in July, and a DOJ spokesperson declined to comment. If Google loses at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, it could seek review by the U.S. Supreme Court. The reporting noted on May 22, 2026, by Jody Godoy in New York and drew on Reuters as the source.