Alphabet’s Google said Saturday it will appeal a federal antitrust decision addressing the company’s dominance in online search and advertising markets.
The move comes after U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta proposed less aggressive remedies than those sought by federal regulators.
In a post on X, Google said, “We will wait for the Court’s opinion. And we still strongly believe the Court’s original decision was wrong, and look forward to our eventual appeal.”
The announcement follows closing arguments Friday in Washington, where Judge Mehta presided over a trial examining potential measures to restore competition in the online search market. The Justice Department and a coalition of states had urged the court to implement a 10-year regime of restrictions on Google, including the breakup of its advertising technology business.
In April, a federal judge ruled that Google unlawfully maintained monopolies in online advertising technology markets. The DOJ has pushed for Google to divest key assets, including Google Ad Manager, which consists of the company’s publisher ad server and ad exchange.
Regulators are also seeking to prohibit Google from making multibillion-dollar payments to companies such as Apple and other smartphone makers to ensure its search engine remains the default option on new devices. In addition, they are pressing the company to share certain search data with rivals.
The government argues that Google’s dominance in search strengthens its position in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence products like Gemini.
At the hearing, Google’s attorney John Schmidtlein countered that the company has taken steps to address competition concerns by ending exclusive arrangements with wireless carriers and manufacturers, including Samsung, allowing them to install alternative search and AI apps on devices.
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