Mozilla and Google reach search deal

The Mozilla Blog has announced that Mozilla and Google have signed a new agreement relating to Google remaining the default search engine in the Firefox web browser. The post refers to the announcement as a "significant and mutually beneficial revenue agreement with Google," and states that the new agreement "extends our long term search relationship with Google for at least three additional years".

The specific terms of the agreement beyond its longevity were not revealed, although it's previously been reported that the majority of Mozilla's revenue comes from search partnerships, and Google accounts for the bulk of that income. To that end, it will come as a relief to fans of Firefox that the deal continues. Mozilla and Google also both appeared publicly happy with the outcome. "Under this multi-year agreement, Google Search will continue to be the default search provider for hundreds of millions of Firefox users around the world," said Gary Kovacs, CEO, Mozilla. "Mozilla has been a valuable partner to Google over the years and we look forward to continuing this great partnership in the years to come," said Alan Eustace, Senior Vice President of Search, Google.

Questions will no doubt remain about the majority of Mozilla's revenue coming from Google. The search engine giant is, after all, now a direct rival in the browser space through its Chrome browser, which has a market-share that has eclipsed that of Firefox. The deal should, however, put to rest accusations of Google undercutting and undermining Firefox and may also assist Google in ongoing antitrust investigations, since the existence of one major competitor is guaranteed at least through to the end of 2014.