Key Points
- Google is asking a judge to pause an order that would force it to share data with rivals.
- The order is part of a remedy in a case where Google was found to have an illegal monopoly in online search.
- Google says sharing its data would be irreversible and expose its trade secrets. The company is planning to appeal the entire monopoly ruling.
- The U.S. government is considering its own appeal to seek tougher penalties against Google.
Google is asking a federal judge to hit the pause button on a key part of a recent antitrust ruling. The company wants to delay an order that would require it to share its valuable data with competitors, including AI companies such as OpenAI. Google says it plans to appeal the entire ruling and that sharing its data now would be irreversible, even if it wins the appeal.
The request comes after a landmark 2024 decision in which a judge found that Google used illegal tactics to maintain its monopoly in online search. As part of the remedy, the judge, Amit Mehta, ordered Google to take several steps to level the playing field.
While Google is willing to comply with some of the new rules, like limiting the length of its contracts to preload apps on new devices, it’s drawing the line at sharing its data. The company argues that this would expose its trade secrets and that there would be no way to recover them if a higher court later rules in its favor.
“Although Google believes that these remedies are unwarranted… it is prepared to do everything short of turning over its data… while its appeal is pending,” the company said in a court filing.
This is the latest move in a long-running battle between Google and U.S. antitrust enforcers. While the judge’s ruling was a major blow to the company, he also rejected the government’s call for even stronger remedies, such as forcing Google to sell its Chrome browser.
The Department of Justice and the states that brought the case now have until February 3 to decide whether to appeal the ruling, seeking those tougher penalties.
