Google loses EU antitrust appeal, must pay $7.26 billion fine

Google has lost its appeal at the European Court of Justice challenging a 4.125 billion euro ($7.26 billion) antitrust fine imposed by the European Union in 2018. The EU's highest court upheld the original decision, which found that Google had abused its dominant market position concerning the Android operating system.

The European Commission had accused Google of illegally leveraging its dominance. The company allegedly forced smartphone manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and the Chrome browser as a condition for licensing Google's Play Store. Furthermore, Google was found to have restricted the use of Android's alternative operating systems and paid certain companies for the exclusive pre-installation of Google Search.

Google's argument that Android users were not forced to use Google apps and could download alternatives easily was rejected by the court. A Google spokesperson expressed disappointment, stating the ruling did not consider Google's significant investments in maintaining Android's openness, interoperability, and free operation.

“

Android users were not forced to use Google apps and could download other apps with a single touch.

This latest ruling adds to a series of substantial fines levied against Google by the EU. Previously, Google was fined 2.4 billion euros in 2017 for favoring its own shopping service in search results, 1.49 billion euros in 2019 for restricting third-party website advertising, and 2.95 billion euros in 2023 for abusing its dominant position in the ad exchange market. With this latest penalty, the cumulative fines imposed by the EU on Google now approach 11 billion euros.

The decision comes as the EU intensifies its regulation of big tech companies. The EU is also investigating Google for potential violations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) concerning how Google Search prioritizes its own services, such as Google Flights, over competitors'. A decision on this matter is expected soon.

“

This ruling did not take into account the investments Google has made (huge sums of money) to maintain the openness, interoperability, and free operation of Android.