Google has lost its legal battle against the record fine imposed by European antitrust regulators over its use of the Android operating system to shut out competitors.
The European Commission originally fined Google €4.34 billion in 2018, ruling that the company's agreements required smartphone manufacturers to pre-install Google Search, the Chrome browser and the Google Play app store on Android devices.
At the same time, those agreements prevented manufacturers from using competing versions of Android.
Appeal rejected
In 2022, the General Court of the European Union reduced the fine to €4.1 billion following an appeal by the company.
Google subsequently challenged that ruling before the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg, the EU's highest judicial authority.
The court ultimately sided with the European competition watchdog.
“The appeal brought by Google and its parent company, Alphabet, against the judgment of the General Court is dismissed, thereby confirming the sanction imposed for the abuse of Google Search's dominant position within the Android operating system,” the judges said.
Google's response
A Google spokesperson said the ruling fails to take into account the company's investments to ensure that Android remains an open, interoperable and free operating system.
“In any event, we have already adapted our agreements since 2018 to comply with the original decision and remain committed to continuous innovation and transparency for the benefit of users, partners and developers,” the company said.
More scrutiny ahead
Google has been fined nearly €11 billion in total by the European Union over the past decades for various breaches of competition law.
The company could also face additional penalties in the near future.
It is currently accused of favouring its own services and products in search results, as well as engaging in anti-competitive practices related to its app store.
Both cases are being examined under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), legislation designed to curb the market power of major technology companies.
Source: Reuters
