According to the report, Mehta, presiding from the bench, indicated that discussions concerning prospective collaborations involving Microsoft and Apple, as well as DuckDuckGo and Apple, are slated to be revealed.
Apple has engaged in discussions with DuckDuckGo to potentially replace Google, which is currently provided by Alphabet, as the default search engine in the private browsing mode of Apple’s Safari web browser, as reported by Bloomberg News on Wednesday. The information comes from sources knowledgeable about these deliberations.
The report anticipates that more details regarding these negotiations will become available later this week. This development follows a ruling by Judge Amit Mehta in a federal antitrust case against Google, wherein he decided to unseal the testimonies of DuckDuckGo’s CEO, Gabriel Weinberg, and Apple’s executive, John Giannandrea, both of whom are involved in the talks.
Furthermore, the report indicates that discussions concerning potential agreements between Microsoft and Apple, as well as DuckDuckGo and Apple, will also be unveiled. This information is based on an order from Judge Mehta issued during the proceedings.
Apple, DuckDuckGo, and Google refrained from providing an immediate response when contacted by Reuters for a comment.
In a groundbreaking legal case within the United States last month, the U.S. Department of Justice contended that Google, commanding approximately 90% of the search market, engaged in unlawful payments totaling $10 billion annually to smartphone manufacturers like Apple and wireless service providers such as AT&T, among others. This compensation was aimed at securing its position as the default search engine on their devices, allowing Google to maintain its dominant position.
On Monday, Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, gave testimony in which he asserted that major technology companies were engaged in fierce competition to acquire extensive repositories of data crucial for the advancement of artificial intelligence. He voiced concerns about Google’s practice of securing content through costly and exclusive agreements with publishers, which he found problematic.
He mentioned that Microsoft had attempted to establish Bing as the default search engine on Apple mobile devices but encountered resistance.
