Last year, a federal judge ruled that Google had illegally maintained a search monopoly, but allowed the company to keep paying to be the default search engine on Apple devices (with very few caveats). Now, the Department of Justice and a group of states are appealing the overall decision. Here are the details.
A bit of background
In August 2024, Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google had resorted to illegal means to maintain its monopoly in the U.S. online search market.
Part of that decision involved Google’s exclusionary agreements with companies such as Apple, as they created steeper anticompetitive effects.
With that decision in the books, the case moved to a year-long remedies phase, during which multiple witnesses from all sides, including from associated companies such as Apple, tried to make their case as to what, exactly, should happen to Google.
From forcing the company to spin off Chrome to barring it from exclusive agreements like the one with Apple, everything seemed on the table.
It was during one such hearing that Apple SVP of Services Eddy Cue famously downplayed Apple’s deal with Google, suggesting that AI would make search (and even the iPhone) obsolete to the point of rendering their current exclusive deal irrelevant.
Finally, last September, Judge Mehta issued his opinion, which was overwhelmingly beneficial to Google.
As we reported back then:
Here’s what Google can and cannot do when it comes to partnerships with Apple going forward: What is allowed Apple’s search partnership with Google may continue. Judge Mehta rejected a blanket “payment ban,” finding it would harm partners and consumers. For this reason, Google gets to keep paying Apple to be the default (albeit not exclusive ) search engine on Safari;
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