A blow to Google: it lost the appeal and will pay a fine of 4.1 billion euros

The affair began in 2018, when the European Commission imposed a record fine of 4.34 billion euros on Google. According to the regulator’s determination, Google took advantage of the control of the Android operating system, which is installed on most smartphones in the world, to strengthen its position in the Internet search market. As part of the agreements with the smartphone manufacturers, the company required them to pre-install the Google search engine and the Chrome browser as a condition for receiving a license for Google services. In addition, according to the Commission’s decision, the company imposed restrictions on manufacturers who sought to market devices based on alternative versions of Android. According to the European Union, the set of these measures reduced competition and harmed the ability of competitors to reach consumers.

A win for European competition authorities

Google appealed the decision and claimed that Android actually increased competition in the smartphone market and that users can choose and download competing applications and search engines at any time. In 2022, the General Court of the European Union reduced the amount of the fine to 4.1 billion euros, but confirmed most of the Commission’s findings. Now the Supreme Court of the European Union also rejected the company’s latest appeal and stated that there is no reason to change the verdict, so the fine remains definitively.

The ruling is a significant victory for European competition authorities and joins a series of proceedings conducted by the European Union against American technology giants in recent years. Google has already been fined billions of euros in other cases that touched the price comparison service Google Shopping, the online advertising market and other areas. The current decision reinforces the position of the European Union, which seeks to limit the power of large digital platforms and ensure more equal conditions of competition in digital markets.

Google said: “Android provides more choices for everyone and supports thousands of businesses. The ruling recognizes our significant investment to ensure that Android remains open, interactive and free. In any case, we adjusted our agreements to comply with the initial decision back in 2018, and we remain focused on innovation and openness for our users, partners and developers.”