This document describes a real legal project I can file as a licensed
attorney (MA Bar #695038, USPTO #79984) on behalf of SACS LLC, the
research organization I direct. It has a deadline, discrete tasks, and
produces a tangible professional output. I'm requesting OT support to
structure the work into manageable sessions.
The U.S. government sued Google for being an illegal monopoly in internet search. The government won. The court ordered remedies (penalties/fixes) in December 2025. Both sides are now appealing to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
I want to file an amicus curiae brief — a "friend of the court" document that provides perspective from someone who isn't a party to the case but has relevant expertise. Courts accept these routinely.
Why SACS has standing to contribute: My organization publishes research through Reddit. Reddit has an exclusive $60M/year deal with Google to feed content into AI systems. Reddit is now the #1 cited source in AI — 3x more than Wikipedia. My Reddit account was banned by an automated spam filter with no notice and no real appeal. This means my published research is now excluded from the AI knowledge pipeline, and no alternative platform offers equivalent access because of Google's exclusive licensing arrangement.
The brief argues: the court's remedies need to address exclusive content licensing deals (like Google-Reddit) that extend the monopoly into AI information retrieval. This is directly within the scope of what the court is already deciding.
| Phase | Estimated Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Briefing schedule set by D.C. Circuit | Feb-Mar 2026 | Pending |
| Google's opening brief | ~Apr-May 2026 | ~60 days after schedule |
| DOJ response brief | ~Jun-Jul 2026 | ~60 days after Google |
| Reply briefs | ~Aug 2026 | ~30 days after response |
| Amicus briefs due | Typically with appellee's brief | ~Jun-Jul 2026 |
| Oral argument | ~Fall 2026 | TBD |
Under D.C. Circuit Rule 29 and Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 29, amicus briefs are due 7 days after the brief of the party the amicus supports (or 7 days after appellee's brief if not supporting either party). Since SACS would likely support the DOJ's cross-appeal (arguing remedies don't go far enough), the brief would be due ~7 days after DOJ files its brief.
We won't know the exact date until the D.C. Circuit sets the briefing schedule — likely within the next few weeks.
Realistic target window: June-August 2026
Time needed: ~30 min/week
| Task | Description | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Check PACER for D.C. Circuit briefing schedule | Low |
| 1.2 | Set calendar alert when schedule is published | Low |
| 1.3 | File Reddit appeal, document outcome | Low |
| 1.4 | Read key filings as they appear | Medium |
Time needed: ~2-4 hours/week for 6-8 weeks
| Task | Description | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Draft motion for leave to file amicus brief | Medium |
| 2.2 | Research: document Reddit-Google licensing terms | Medium |
| 2.3 | Research: compile AI citation data (Profound AI) | Medium |
| 2.4 | Research: document Reddit moderation procedures | Low (done) |
| 2.5 | Draft brief outline (15-25 pages target) | High |
| 2.6 | Write Section I: Interest of Amicus | Low |
| 2.7 | Write Section II: Factual background (AI-RAG) | Medium |
| 2.8 | Write Section III: Legal argument | High |
| 2.9 | Write Section IV: Proposed remedial principle | Medium |
| 2.10 | Internal review and revision | Medium |
Time needed: ~8-12 hours total
| Task | Description | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | Final formatting per D.C. Circuit rules | Medium |
| 3.2 | Prepare motion for leave to file | Low |
| 3.3 | File via CM/ECF (D.C. Circuit e-filing) | Low |
| 3.4 | Serve copies on all parties | Low |
| 3.5 | Document filing for SACS records | Low |
Session format:
#695038)This document was prepared with AI assistance as part of the SACS Court of Coherence case management system (SACS-RD-001). It is designed to support occupational therapy goal-setting for a real, deadline-driven professional project.