Apple has expressed its intention to join Google’s impending antitrust trial in the United States concerning online search practices. The company emphasized that it cannot depend on Google to adequately defend the revenue-sharing arrangements that result in substantial annual payments, amounting to billions, for making Google the default search engine on its Safari browser.
According to court documents submitted in Washington on Monday, Apple has no plans to develop a competing search engine, regardless of the future of these payments. In 2022, Apple reportedly earned approximately $20 billion (around Rs. 1,70,544 crore) from its deal with Google.
As part of its involvement in the case, Apple intends to call witnesses to testify during the trial set for April. The Department of Justice aims to demonstrate that Google should implement significant changes, such as divesting its Chrome Web browser and possibly its Android operating system, to foster competition in the online search market.
Apple stated, “Google can no longer adequately represent Apple’s interests: Google must now defend against a broad effort to break up its business units.”
This prosecution by the Department of Justice against Google is considered a pivotal case that has the potential to alter the landscape of how users access information online.
In response to the situation, Google has suggested modifications to its default agreements with browser developers, mobile-device manufacturers, and wireless carriers, but intends to maintain its agreements related to sharing a portion of ad revenue generated from searches.
A Google spokesperson declined to provide comments on the matter on Tuesday.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
