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It’s official: Google remains default search engine in Firefox for 3 more years

Mozilla, the open source organization behind the Firefox browser that is receiving a beating from Google’s Chrome, announced in a blog post today that it has signed a new search agreement with Google.

We’re pleased to announce that we have negotiated a significant and mutually beneficial revenue agreement with Google. This new agreement extends our long term search relationship with Google for at least three additional years.

The deal, like similar previous agreements, will mandate Mozilla to make Google the default search engine in Firefox’s search box and Awesome bar for at least 3 more years in exchange for an unknown sum. Mozilla said it is “not at liberty” to disclose the terms of the deal. In addition to individual and corporate donations and grants, the majority of Mozilla’s revenue comes from its default search deal with Google.

Google contributed to a whopping 84 percent of Mozilla’s $123 million in revenue in 2011. Today’s announcement ends a period of speculation over fear that Google was thinking about pulling out of that agreement in an attempt to derail the Firefox browser. Such a move is a possibility, but it would not benefit the search giant in the end as it would probably find itself bitten by anti-trust watchdogs who would accuse the company of stifling innovation in the browser market. Also in related news, Mozilla released Firefox 9 today for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux. The new version sports a 30 percent JavaScript engine and adds support for Mac OS X Lion multi-touch gestures (two-finger swipe to move between tabs) and Android.

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