Judge denies Google bid to pause search data-sharing order in monopoly case

By Josh Sisco and Leah Nylen

 

A federal judge rejected Alphabet Inc.’s request to pause an order that forces the tech giant to provide rivals with access to its underlying search data while the company appeals a ruling that it illegally monopolized the online search market.

 

In a ruling Thursday, US District Judge Amit Mehta denied Google’s request for now, saying that any data sharing is at least months away and therefore the company is not at risk of any immediate harm.

 

“As of today, neither the court nor the parties have any concrete point of reference for the harms the data-sharing and syndication provisions may precipitate,” Mehta said. The government’s “rosy estimate of when these remedies will be available to qualified competitors likely depends on relatively conflict-free negotiations of licensing terms and certifying competitors, which is far from assured.”

 

 

The Washington judge said that the Justice Department and state attorneys general, which brought the lawsuit, must notify the court 45 days before any data sharing would start, and Google could then renew its request to pause the ruling. 

 

Mehta ruled in August 2024 that the company illegally monopolized the search market through contracts with Apple Inc. and other smartphone makers such as Samsung Electronics Co. that required its search engine to be used as the default. Those deals, for which Google paid more than $20 billion annually, blocked rivals from key distribution channels, the judge found.

 

After holding a second trial in 2025, Mehta rejected a bid by the Justice Department and dozens of state attorneys general to force the sale of Google’s Chrome web browser. Instead, he held that Google can continue to pay for its search engine and AI apps to be the default option, but required that the deals be rebid every year to allow rivals more opportunities to compete. 

 

The judge also required the company to share a one-time snapshot of its search data with some rivals to help them build up competing search engines or artificial intelligence products.

 

Implementing Mehta’s ruling will be a significant lift. The parties are currently in the process of standing up a technical committee that will oversee the process, with two spots in that body still to be filled, according to Mehta’s ruling. The plaintiffs estimate that any data sharing with competitors may be possible in the fall or winter, Mehta said.  

 

The DOJ, states and Google are expected to file briefs on the appeal through the end of October. No date for a hearing has been set.