Tech giant Apple has filed an emergency move to halt the remedies trial in the Justice Department’s case against Google for search monopolization to get more involved.
After it was decided that Google has monopolistic dominance in the search industry, in part because of its payments to Apple for default placement on iOS, the trial’s remedies phase is set for April.
Apple argued that Google may not be sufficiently representing its interests because the government’s plans may affect its commercial agreements.
It requested a court stay to avoid any potential irreparable harm.
The move asks for a stay of prospective remedies that the Department of Justice may pursue following its successful antitrust case against Google for maintaining a search monopoly, which may include spinoffs of its Android operating system or Chrome browser.
Apple asked the court to rule on the motion by Feb. 4, writing, “If Apple’s appeal is not resolved until during or after the remedies trial, Apple may well be forced to stand mute at trial, as a mere spectator, while the government pursues an extreme remedy that targets Apple by name and would prohibit any commercial arrangement between Apple and Google for a decade. This would leave Apple without the ability to defend its right to reach other arrangements with Google that could benefit millions of users and Apple’s entitlement to compensation for distributing Google search to its users.”