In a recent court filing, Google has requested the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to overturn an antitrust ruling affecting its search operations. This appeal follows a ruling in August 2024, where the Department of Justice successfully argued that Google had maintained illegal monopolies in general search and search advertising.
Judge Amit Mehta concluded that Google acted as a monopolist, violating Section 2 of the Sherman Act. The court's remedies phase revealed the terms of Google's deal with Apple, which designates Google as the default search engine on Safari in exchange for 36% of search advertising revenue, amounting to approximately $20 billion in 2022.
Although Google was permitted to continue paying Apple for this default position, new limitations were imposed. These restrictions prevent Google from making the agreement exclusive and allow Apple to endorse competing search engines and generative AI products. Additionally, a 12-month limit on default agreements was established, allowing competitors an opportunity to offer better terms to Apple annually.