Google loses fight over record $4.7 billion EU antitrust fine
“Hong Kong, China – March, 19 2012: A close-up of a Samsung Galaxy S II Android screen with social media applications of Google Plus, Facebook, Play Store and Google Search.”
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Europe’s top court on Thursday upheld Google‘s fine of around 4.1 billion euros ($4.67 billion) over alleged anti-competitive practices.
In 2018, the European Commission slapped Google with the record-breaking penalty on the grounds that it abused Android’s mobile dominance to give unfair advantage to its own apps via pre-installation deals with smartphone makers.
Google has been appealing the ruling through the EU court system. But the European Court of Justice (ECJ), Europe’s top court, dismissed Google’s appeal.
“The Court of Justice dismisses the appeal brought by Google and Alphabet against that judgment of the General Court, thereby confirming the penalty imposed on them, as revised by the General Court, for their anticompetitive practices relating to the Android operating system,” the ECJ said in a press release.
CNBC has reached out to Google for comment.
In 2022, a lower EU court reduced the fine to the current 4.1 billion euros from 4.34 billion euros previously.
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