The technology group Alphabet has officially filed an appeal against the landmark antitrust ruling that found Google had an illegal monopoly in the search engine market.
• Google appealed U.S. Judge Amit Mehta’s ruling on Friday
• Controversial measures include a requirement to share search data with rivals and a ban on long-term exclusive contracts for standard search
• Despite the legal uncertainty, Alphabet shares remain in demand at the beginning of the year
Appeal against “ignored pressure to innovate”
In an official blog post, Google justified the move to appeal by saying that the original ruling from August 2024 misunderstood market reality. According to Lee-Anne Mulholland, vice president of regulatory affairs, people use Google “because they want to, not because they’re forced to.” The court did not sufficiently take into account the rapid innovation cycle and the competitive pressure from AI startups and established players.
Google also requested that the implementation of specific requirements be stopped until the appeal is decided. The group is particularly critical of the obligation to pass on search data and syndication services to competitors. According to Google, these mandates would jeopardize user data protection and reduce the incentive for competitors to develop their own innovative products.
Milestone on the stock market for Alphabet shares despite regulatory pressure
Parallel to the legal tug-of-war, Alphabet celebrated a historic success on the stock market. On Monday, January 12, 2026, the group became only the fourth company in the world to reach a market capitalization of $4 trillion. This rally was driven primarily by growing enthusiasm for Google’s AI model Gemini and a new partnership with Apple, in which Gemini will support core Siri functions in the future.
Although Judge Mehta laid down the final remedies in December, the feared breakup of the company – for example through a sale of the Chrome browser – did not occur. Analysts rated the requirements, such as limiting exclusive contracts to a maximum of one year, as moderate. This strengthens investors’ confidence in the future profitability of the cloud and advertising business, reports CNBC.
How will Alphabet shares perform?
At the end of the week on Friday, Alphabet C shares on the NASDAQ fell slightly by 0.85 percent and closed at $330.34. Since the US stock exchanges will be closed next Monday due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, new impulses from New York are not expected until Tuesday.
Editorial team finanzen.net
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