Apple participates in Google antitrust trial: Insight into billion-dollar search engine agreements

Apple has announced its participation in the upcoming US antitrust trial against Google. The reason is that Apple wants to represent its own interests surrounding the lucrative revenue-sharing agreements. These agreements secure the iPhone manufacturer billions annually, as Google is used as the default search engine in Apple's Safari browser. Apple's lawyers made it clear that the company will not develop its own search engine to compete with Google, regardless of whether the payments continue. In 2022, Apple received an estimated 20 billion dollars from its partnership with Google. Apple plans to name witnesses to testify in April during the trial. Prosecutors aim to demonstrate that Google must take several measures to restore competition in online search. This could include selling the Chrome browser and possibly the Android operating system. The Justice Department's case against Google is considered a landmark with the potential to fundamentally change how users find information online. Google had proposed to loosen its standard agreements with browser developers, mobile device manufacturers, and mobile providers, while keeping the ad revenue-sharing agreements unchanged. A Google spokesperson declined to comment on Tuesday.