Google defeated in bid to overturn record €4.1 billion EU antitrust fine

Over the past 15 years, the European Commission (EC) has slapped Google with close to €11 billion in fines for various antitrust violations, though the company's repeated appeals have kept many of them tied up in litigation. In 2017, for example, Google was hit with a €2.42 billion fine for leveraging its shopping comparison service to unfairly squeeze out smaller competitors. The company challenged the decision, but the appeal was rejected in 2021.

Fast forward to the present: Google has once again lost an appeal against a record-breaking EU antitrust fine for allegedly forcing phone manufacturers to pre-install Google Search, Google Chrome and Google Play on their Android devices, effectively shutting out competitors. The €4.34 billion fine was initially imposed in 2018 by the EC, reduced to €4.1 billion four years later in 2022. Google subsequently escalated the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union, the EU's highest court. 

However, the court has upheld the ruling of the EC, stating:

The appeal ​brought by Google and its parent company Alphabet against the judgment of the General Court is dismissed, thereby confirming ​the penalty imposed for Google Search's abuse of a dominant position in the context of the Android operating system.

Legal observers say the decision could give momentum to Europe's broader push against major tech firms. Google, for its part, claims that the ruling overlooks the company's efforts to keep Android open, interoperable and free, further stating: 

In any event, we adapted our agreements to comply with the initial decision back in 2018, and we remain focused on continued innovation and openness for our users, partners and developers.