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Google asks US judge to defer order forcing it to share data while it appeals

By Thomson Reuters Jan 16, 2026 | 3:09 PM

Jan 16 (Reuters) – Alphabet’s Google asked a judge on Friday to postpone making the company ‍share data with rivals while it challenges a ruling that the company holds an illegal monopoly in online search, according to court ‌papers.

U.S. District Judge Amit ‌Mehta in Washington ruled in 2024 that the company used unlawful tactics to maintain its dominance in online ​search. Google will urge a federal appeals court to reverse ‍that ruling, it ​said in court papers ​on Friday.

And Mehta went too far ‍in trying to level the playing field by ordering the company to share its data with competitors including generative artificial ‍intelligence companies such as ChatGPT maker OpenAI, Google said.

If Google complies, it risks ‍exposing ‍trade secrets with no ​way to recover them ​if ⁠it wins on appeal, ‌the company said, asking Mehta to pause that part of his ruling.

(Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York, Editing by Franklin Paul and ⁠Cynthia Osterman)