Google is challenging a federal court’s ruling that labeled it an illegal monopolist in the online search domain. On Friday, the tech giant filed an appeal, requesting a suspension of court-mandated measures intended to foster competition in the search market.

“We’ve consistently maintained that the court’s decision in August 2024 overlooks the fact that users choose Google voluntarily, not out of obligation,” stated Google’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland, in a blog post. “The ruling ignored the rapid innovation and fierce competition we encounter from both established companies and emerging startups. Moreover, it discounted significant testimony from browser developers like Apple and Mozilla, who select Google for its superior search quality for their users.”

Google is urging that the remedies, which would require it to share search data and services with competitors, be halted. The company argues that these actions could jeopardize user privacy and dissuade competitors from developing their own products, ultimately hindering the innovation that maintains the U.S.’s leadership in global technology. If approved, the pause would further delay Google’s obligations in a lawsuit initiated by the Department of Justice (DOJ) back in October 2020. The DOJ has yet to comment on the request.

In 2024, Judge Amit Mehta of the D.C. federal court declared that Google held an unlawful monopoly over “general search services” and “general search text advertising.” Mehta found that Google unfairly restricted competition by striking exclusive deals with phone manufacturers and browsers, ensuring its search products remained the default choice. This decision resulted in a robust monopoly where partners deemed it financially unviable to switch default search providers, fearing the loss of substantial revenue from Google-paid shares. “These are Fortune 500 companies, and they have nowhere else to turn other than Google,” Mehta noted.

However, Judge Mehta did not fulfill the DOJ’s expectations in terms of remedies, choosing not to dismantle the company by forcing the sale of its Chrome browser, which the government viewed as a crucial distribution channel for search services. Instead, he ordered Google to provide search data to competitors, aiming to level the playing field and revive competition in the search services market.

Google had to wait until Mehta issued his remedies ruling in September before appealing the underlying monopoly finding. The case could ultimately stretch at least a couple more years, especially if it goes all the way up to the Supreme Court.