• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, December 24, 2024

Apple reportedly wants to become involved with Google’s upcoming U.S. antitrust trial to protect its own revenue-sharing arrangements that provide billions annually from Google.

The agreement sends Apple billions of dollars annually to make Google the default search engine on its Safari browser.

Apple received an estimated $20 billion from its agreement with Google in 2022.

Apple does not plan to build its own search engine to compete with Google, regardless of whether payments continue, the company's lawyers said in court papers filed Monday, reported Reuters.

In the April trial, Apple wants to call witnesses to testify. Prosecutors will push the judge to show Google must take several measures, including selling Chrome and potentially the Android operating system, to restore competition in online search.

"Google can no longer adequately represent Apple’s interests: Google must now defend against a broad effort to break up its business units," Reuters reported, citing Apple.

DOJ prosecutors will try to convince the judge presiding over the U.S. trial to make major changes in the way online search and display run, altering the way advertisers reach consumers.

Google proposed options to the judge on Friday that could mean more choices for consumers as they browse the web or use a smartphone running Google’s Android smartphone operating system.

The options appeared in a filing of proposed remedies to the antitrust lawsuit. A blog post published by Google explained alternative actions the DOJ could take and the reasoning behind its response.

 The company attempted to explain why the sale of Chrome does not fit into the judge's description of its illegal conduct, which focused on exclusive contracts with browsers such as Apple, smartphone manufacturers and telecom carriers.