Alphabet has officially notified its intention to file an appeal against the landmark antitrust judgment that ruled its subsidiary, Google, illegally monopolized online search and search advertising. This decision follows the initial ruling announced in September, after which Google's stock saw a significant 56% jump, attributed largely to its advancements in the competitive artificial intelligence (AI) race.

Google has explicitly appealed the judgment, asserting that the court order, issued by Judge Amit Mehta, compels it to share sensitive data with competitors. The company argues that complying with such a mandate risks exposing its proprietary trade secrets, with no viable mechanism to reclaim them should the appeal favor Google. The company's statement, as reported by Reuters, indicates that while Google views these remedies as unwarranted and believes they should never have been imposed, it is prepared to undertake all necessary actions, excluding the handover of its data or providing syndicated results and ads, while the appeal is pending.

The notice of appeal was filed in a Washington federal court, alongside a request to put the lower-court ruling on hold during the appeal process. This action is expected to significantly delay any potential corporate structure or business alterations that Alphabet would otherwise be required to implement following the initial judgment. The US DC Circuit Court of Appeals is anticipated to hear the case later in 2026. Statistics compiled by the US Courts suggest that it typically takes approximately one year for the Court to issue judgments after an appeal notice is filed.

The antitrust case against Google originated during former US President Donald Trump's first term in office in 2020. The trial commenced in the latter half of 2023, culminating in US District Judge Amit Mehta's August 2024 ruling that Google had unlawfully monopolized the search market. Judge Mehta's order specifically cited Google's contractual agreements with Apple and Samsung Electronics, which mandated the use of Google's search engine as the default browser, as the mechanism that blocked rivals and facilitated an illegal monopoly. However, Judge Mehta declined the US Department of Justice's (DoJ) suggestion to force Google to divest its Chrome browser. Instead, he ordered a yearly rebid for the default search engine option, aiming to provide rival companies with opportunities to compete. Google reportedly pays over $20 billion annually for these default search engine deals with Apple and Samsung.

Despite facing numerous findings of illegal monopolies over the years, Google has historically emerged largely unscathed from battles against US antitrust enforcers. The DoJ has a deadline until February 3 to appeal Judge Mehta's dismissal of their proposed resolution for Google's antitrust violations. This ongoing legal battle highlights the complex challenges in regulating dominant tech companies.