Google has filed an appeal against the antitrust ruling that found the company illegally maintained search monopolies. The appeal specifically targets the court's treatment of Google's deal with Apple, where Google became Safari's default search engine in exchange for $20 billion paid to Apple in 2022 alone.

The judge allowed Google to continue paying Apple for default placement but imposed significant restrictions. Google can no longer make the Safari agreement exclusive or prevent Apple from promoting rival search engines. Most critically, the court imposed a 12-month default limit, meaning competitors get yearly opportunities to offer better deals.

Google argues the deal reflects lawful competition, not anticompetitive behavior. The company points to Apple's own testimony that choosing Google was a "no brainer" because it provided the best monetization. Apple reportedly rejected Microsoft's offer to pay 100% of ad revenues because users would abandon Bing.