Google Appeals Search Monopoly Ruling, Argues It Beat Rivals on Merit

*Google told the D.C. Circuit that the district court ignored evidence of competition when it found the company's deals with Apple and Mozilla illegal.*

Google filed its appeal Friday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The company claims Judge Amit Mehta's August 2024 liability decision and September 2025 remedies order both rest on legal errors. It wants the rulings overturned.

What the filing says

The brief states that Google "prevailed in the marketplace fair and square." It argues the district court wrongly concluded that payments to be the default search engine on iPhones and other devices amounted to illegal monopolization. Instead, Google says its success came from "better innovation, more investments, and just working harder."

The company maintains that Apple and Mozilla remained free to choose any search provider. No evidence shows Google blocked rivals from making better offers or stopped device makers from switching defaults. The filing adds that the remedies order, which requires Google to share some search data with competitors, compounds the initial mistake.

Prior decisions

The 2024 ruling found Google maintained its search monopoly through exclusive contracts. The 2025 remedies phase ordered changes to those contracts, including data-sharing requirements. Google had signaled an appeal after both decisions. Friday's brief supplies the first detailed arguments the company will press on review.

No other parties have filed responses yet.

Why it matters

The appeal tests whether default agreements that pay for placement cross into exclusionary conduct or remain ordinary competition. If the D.C. Circuit accepts Google's framing, the remedies order could be vacated and the liability finding narrowed. Device makers and rival search engines would then continue operating under the existing contracts while the case proceeds.

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Sources:

• The Verge
• MacRumors

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