The above information was revealed within the framework of an ongoing antitrust lawsuit against Google, Engadget reported.
Peter Fitzgerald, VP of Google's platform and device partnership, testified in federal court and said the payment began in January this year.
According to Mr. Fitzgerald, the contract with Samsung is valid for at least 2 years, including a fixed monthly payment and a percentage of the revenue that Google earns from advertisers inside the Gemini app.
Although the specific figures were not released, US Attorney General David Dahlquist said it was a huge amount of money in the form of fixed monthly payments. The disclosure of the deal is part of a hearing to determine what action Google needs to take to address its allegedly competition law violations.
The antitrust lawsuit stems from an accusation that Google has abused its monopoly in the field of search engines. Part of the case revolves around Google paying Apple, Samsung and several other companies to ensure that its search engine is the default on devices made by them.
Judge Amit Mehta, who presided over the trial, agreed with the accusation and said the act violated antitrust law. He is continuing to review the evidence to make a final decision on the necessary remedies.
Another hearing related to Epic Games also showed that Google spent up to $8 billion in the period from 2020 to 2023 to ensure that Google Search, Play Store and Google Assistant were the default on Samsung's mobile devices.
A federal judge in California later asked Google to lift restrictions that prevent payment systems and app warehouses from competing. Google is currently appealing the decision.
