According to the leading economics authority for Alphabet, Google compensates Apple 36% of the revenue it makes from search marketing achieved through the Safari browser.
The new information was revealed during Google’s defence at the Justice Department’s antitrust trial by Kevin Murphy, a University of Chicago professor.
Apparent to those at the trial, some say Google’s lawyer, John Schmidtlein, cringed noticeably when Murphy voiced the number because the amount was to stay confidential.
Before this bombshell was released, Google and Apple opposed exposing information about their deal openly.
Google stated that disclosing supplementary intelligence about the agreement “would unreasonably undermine Google’s competitive standing in relation to both competitors and other counterparties.”
From 2002, both tech giants had a mutually beneficial agreement, allowing Google to be the default search engine in Apple’s Safari.
Experts say that agreement is one of the most crucial of Google’s default deals because it establishes the search engine for the iPhone, the highest used smartphone in America.
The U.S. Justice Department is aiming to unravel the deal between Google and Apple because it is unlawfully enabling Google’s supremacy over the search engine and search advertising markets.
Neither Apple or Google have released comments surrounding the case or the deal.
