Google has appealed a US district judge’s landmark antitrust ruling that found the firm illegally held a monopoly in online search. The ruling, made in August 2024 by Judge Amit Mehta, requires Google to share some of its search data with qualified competitors and allow them to display Google’s search results as their own. Google’s vice president for regulatory affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland, said, "As we have long said, the Court's August 2024 ruling ignored the reality that people use Google because they want to, not because they're forced to." The company argues the judge’s decision did not consider fast innovation and tough competition Google faces. Google also asked to pause the implementation of the fixes, which some believe are too soft. Judge Mehta noted rapid changes in Google's business due to generative artificial intelligence (AI). Despite government requests, he did not order a breakup of Google or its Chrome browser. Instead, he opted for less strict measures to help smaller rivals survive and innovate. Mulholland pushed back against sharing search data and syndication services with competitors, writing, "These mandates would risk Americans' privacy and discourage competitors from building their own products — ultimately stifling the innovation that keeps the U.S. at the forefront of global technology." Google’s AI efforts are under scrutiny too. The EU recently opened an investigation into Google's AI search summaries for potentially using web data without fair payment to publishers. Google warned this probe could hurt innovation in a competitive market. This week, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, became just the fourth company ever to reach a market value of $4 trillion, highlighting its massive influence in tech and business.