WASHINGTON, United States, Jan 17, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Google filed a notice on 
Friday to appeal a federal judge's ruling that it held an illegal monopoly on 
online search, court records show.

A US district judge decided in 2024 that the internet giant had a monopoly on 
search and text advertising through exclusive distribution agreements that 
made it the "default" option people were likely to use.

On Friday, Google said the ruling "ignored the reality that people use Google 
because they want to, not because they're forced to."

"The decision failed to account for the rapid pace of innovation and intense 
competition we face from established players and well-funded start-ups," Lee-
Anne Mulholland, Google's vice president of regulatory affairs, wrote in a 
blog post.

The company asked District Court Judge Amit Mehta to pause an order in the 
case requiring Google to share data with its rivals in an effort to level the 
playing field in online search.

That order risks Google losing trade secrets before a decision is made on its 
appeal, the company argued in a court filing.

Mehta had imposed the order at the same time that he rejected a request from 
the US government that Google sell its Chrome web browser.

He said at the time that Google must make available to "qualified 
competitors" search index data and user interaction information that rivals 
can use to improve their services.

Google on Friday said it is not seeking to postpone other requirements from 
Mehta's previous orders, including those related to "privacy and security 
safeguards" for user data.

"Although Google believes that these remedies are unwarranted and should 
never have been imposed, it is prepared to do everything short of turning 
over its data or providing syndicated results and ads while its appeal is 
pending," the company said.