Google is accused of paying Apple to protect the hegemony of its own search engine. In exchange for a generous annual remuneration, the iPhone maker would have agreed not to launch a competitor to Google Search. A complaint demands that the two companies end their agreement.
According to a class action lawsuit filed in the United States, Apple and Google have repeatedly violated antitrust laws under US law. The complaint points to the financial agreement between the two companies concerning Google search.
For years, Google has paid Apple billions of dollars to remain Safari’s default search engine. This deal with Google brings in more money to Apple than the revenues generated by its own services, including Apple Music.
Apple and Google would have made secret agreements
In 2021, the Mountain View giant would have disbursed $ 15 billion to ensure that Google Search remains the default search engine for iPhones. This agreement, passed in defiance of laws designed to protect free competition, allows Google to secure a major source of traffic each year.
The plaintiffs assert that the agreement reached between the two firms includes a series of secret clauses. As part of this deal, Apple would have agreed to bury its search engine project. In recent years, however, many leaks have come to claim that Apple is developing its own search engine to compete with Google.
Unsurprisingly, the Cupertino company wanted to integrate its home engine by default on all its devices, including iPhone or iPad. In exchange for a high annual remuneration, Apple would have agreed to moderate the launch of the project. It is rumored, however, that the group would ultimately like to emancipate itself from Google in order to avoid the frantic assaults of lawmakers.
That’s not all. Class Action Says Google Secretly Share With Apple part of the profits generated by its search engine on iPhones. Tim Cook’s firm would get part of the advertising revenue generated by Google Search.
Ensuring that this agreement prevents the development of competing solutions, the complaint demands that justice prohibits the two companies from collaborating. Above all, the class action wants the two tech giants are dismantled in “Separate and independent companies” in order to end their monopoly.
Source: Apple insider
