Khaberni - The U.S. Department of Justice, alongside a group of states, is appealing a judicial decision that concluded Google monopolized the internet search market unlawfully.
However, the decision allowed Google to continue paying fees to remain the default search engine on Apple devices, with some exceptions.
Judge Amit Mehta ruled in August 2024 that Google used illegal means to maintain its monopoly in the internet search market in the United States, acknowledging that its practices were harmful to competition.
The ruling specifically included the exclusive agreements Google made with major companies, including Apple, which created broader anti-competitive impacts.
Following the decision, the case moved into a phase of determining damages that lasted a year, during which witnesses from all parties, including associated companies like Apple, presented their arguments regarding appropriate actions against Google.
During that phase, multiple scenarios were proposed, from forcing the company to separate its Chrome browser to prohibiting it from entering into exclusive agreements like those made with Apple.
In one of the hearings, Eddy Cue, Senior Vice President of Services at Apple, downplayed the significance of the company’s deal with Google, suggesting that artificial intelligence will make search, and even the iPhone itself, less relevant to the extent that their current exclusive deal becomes irrelevant.
In September of the last year, Judge Mehta issued his opinion, which was very favorable to Google,
It is not yet clear which specific parts of Judge Mehta’s ruling the Department of Justice and the states will challenge in the appeal, but they are likely to seek to overturn as much of the decision as possible, possibly excluding parts of Google's deal with Apple unchanged.
Google has not yet commented on the counter-appeal, and Apple is likely to remain silent on the issue until the terms of their deal are back in effect.
However, it is unlikely that the situation will change anytime soon, as the appeals court is not expected to intervene until later this year, or thereafter.
