The US Department of Justice has launched an antitrust lawsuit against Google. The main allegation is that the company used anti-competitive practices in the search and advertising markets to maintain its monopoly. Also, a deal between Apple and Google moves into the focus of the investigation.
After the 64-page indictment launched one of the largest antitrust proceedings in the US for several decades, the pressure on the world’s largest search engine operator continues to grow.
As the New York Times reported, in 2017, Apple and Google agreed that Google would remain as the preferred search engine on Apple devices, as it was already the case.
For this purpose, Apple is said to receive eight to twelve billion US dollars a year. As per the report, this sum should make up 14 to 21% of Apple’s annual profits.
Prosecutors see precisely this agreement as evidence of illegal tactics used by Google to maintain the monopoly and suppress competition.
The investigation could also jeopardize Apple’s earnings, as Google could be banned from making such payments in the future. For Google, the contract is important because of the huge search volume that Apple slugs into the search engine.
Apple isn’t the only company benefiting from Google. Mozilla is also concerned about the antitrust proceedings that the US Department of Justice is seeking against Google. The agreement between Mozilla and Google on the standard selection of Google search in Firefox is also an example of how Google uses its monopoly position.
