Breaking News:Google to court: Cannot share data with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and others; the ruling ignores the basic reality that …– What Just Happened

Google has asked a judge to postpone making the company share data with rivals, including ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. The request comes as Google challenges a ruling that the company holds an illegal monopoly in online search, according to court papers. In 2024, District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington ruled that Google used unlawful tactics to maintain its dominance in online search. The judge decided that the internet giant had a monopoly on search and text advertising through exclusive distribution agreements that made it the “default” option people were likely to use.Google is now urging a federal appeals court to reverse that ruling, it said in court papers. As per Google’s appeal judge Mehta went too far in trying to level the playing field by ordering the company to share its data with competitors including ChatGPT maker OpenAI.Google argued in the court filing that the order risks Google losing trade secrets before a decision is made on its appeal. The search giant said that the ruling “ignored the reality that people use Google because they want to, not because they’re forced to.” The company said in a blog post, “The decision failed to account for the rapid pace of innovation and intense competition we face from established players and well-funded start-ups,” Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s vice president of regulatory affairs.“Google said it is not seeking to postpone other requirements from Mehta’s previous orders, including those related to “privacy and security safeguards” for user data. “Although Google believes that these remedies are unwarranted and should never have been imposed, it is prepared to do everything short of turning over its data or providing syndicated results and ads while its appeal is pending,” the company said.

Google case goes back to Donald Trump’s first term

The case, filed in 2020 during the first Trump administration, went to trial in the fall 2023. US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled in August 2024 that the company illegally monopolized the search market through contracts with Apple and other smartphone makers such as Samsung that required its search engine be used as the default. Those deals, for which Google pays more than $20 billion annually, blocked rivals from key distribution channels, the judge found.After holding a second trial in spring 2025, Mehta rejected a bid by the Justice Department to force the sale of Google’s popular Chrome browser. 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.