Google maintains its $20 billion search agreement with Apple was legitimate as it challenges a federal antitrust ruling that labeled the company a monopolist. The tech giant filed an appeal arguing the deal represented fair competition rather than anti-competitive behavior.

Judge Amit Mehta ruled in August 2024 that Google illegally maintained monopolies in search and advertising markets. The ruling specifically examined Google's payment to remain the default search engine in Safari on iPhones, which generated the massive annual fee. Google counters that Apple simply chose the best search provider based on merit.

The appeal seeks to overturn requirements forcing Google to share search data with competitors. Google argues that generative AI companies like OpenAI shouldn't qualify as search rivals since they don't operate general search engines. The company claims these AI firms succeed independently without relying on Google's infrastructure.

Despite the legal challenges, the $20 billion Safari agreement remains intact while the case proceeds. However, Google faces ongoing obligations to provide data access to traditional search competitors, a requirement the company actively opposes in court.