Google sued over the decision to "buy" search placement on the iPhone

Google Challenges 2024 Court Decision

In an appeal, Google filed a lawsuit against the antitrust ruling issued in 2024 that accused the company of violating law by paying Apple for default search engine status on iPhone.

Key Arguments from Google

* Leadership through quality and fair competition – the corporation asserts its dominant position is achieved through innovation, large-scale investment, and fair market struggle, not cunning agreements.

* Apple's choice was justified – Google emphasizes that Apple chose Chrome at its own discretion, while users could always freely switch to other browsers and search engines.

* Victory without harming competitors – the company claims it did not impede rivals’ development and achieved success on a level playing field.

Court Orders Regarding Data Transfer

The appeal focuses especially on Google's obligations to share search data with AI developers (e.g., OpenAI).

Google stated that:

* Neural network companies have already made significant progress and do not need free access to others' data.

* During the scope of the Justice Department’s claim, AI-based products did not even exist.

* Despite sanctions entering on February 3, the company has so far not transferred competitor data about its technologies.

Current Status of the Process

The legal proceeding is delayed because the Technical Committee appointed by the judge has not yet approved licensing terms, privacy standards, and criteria for selecting competing companies.

Oral hearings on the appeal have not been scheduled; further developments are expected only by the end of 2026 or early 2027.

What Was Decided in the Original Case

The U.S. Department of Justice also demanded forced sale of the Chrome browser and possible spin‑off of Android as a separate business. These demands were not implemented. The court merely prohibited Google from entering exclusive contracts for default search engine distribution, but left it the right to pay for its presence as one of the options on third‑party devices.