Apple has asked to participate in Google's upcoming US antitrust trial over online search, saying it cannot rely on Google to defend revenue-sharing agreements that send the iPhone maker billions of dollars each year to make Google the default search engine on its Safari browser.
Apple does not plan to build its own search engine to compete with Google Inc's Alphabet, whether the payments continue or not, the company's lawyers said in court papers filed in Washington on Monday.
Apple received an estimated $20 billion from its agreement with Google in 2022 alone.
Apple wants to subpoena witnesses to testify in the April trial. Prosecutors will seek to show that Google must take several actions, including selling its Chrome web browser and possibly its Android operating system, to restore competition in online search.
“Google can no longer adequately represent Apple's interests: Google must now defend itself against any widespread effort to break up its business units,” Apple said.
The Google case brought by the Department of Justice is a landmark case that could reshape how users find information online.
Google has proposed relaxing its default agreements with browser developers, mobile device makers and wireless carriers, but not ending its agreements to share a portion of the advertising revenue Google generates from search.
A Google spokesperson declined to comment on Tuesday.
