close
close
migores1

Google’s latest antitrust headache? an EU fine of €2.4 billion.

  • Europe’s highest court upheld a 2.4 billion euro antitrust fine against Google.
  • The 2017 decision found that Google used its search engine dominance to favor its own services.
  • It is the latest in a series of clashes between Alphabet and international regulators.

Europe’s top court has upheld a 2.4 billion euro ($2.67 billion) antitrust fine against Google in the latest regulatory blow to the tech giant.

On Tuesday, the Court of Justice of the European Union upheld a 2017 ruling that found Google used its search engine dominance to favor its own comparison shopping service over competitors.

The commission said Google presented search results from its own shopping services in boxes with attractive images and text information. Instead, competing comparison services appeared as simple, generic blue links. This, according to the ruling, left competing sites prone to being demoted by Google’s algorithms.

The fine, which the tech giant has been appealing for years, set a record at the time. But in 2018, Google was hit with another record €4.3 billion fine for abusing the dominance of its Android operating system.

A Google spokesperson told Business Insider that the company was “disappointed by the court’s decision.”

“This judgment relates to a very specific set of facts. We made changes in 2017 to comply with the decision of the European Commission. Our approach has worked successfully for more than seven years, generating billions of clicks for more than 800 comparison shopping services.” the spokesman said in a statement.

It is the latest in a series of clashes between Alphabet-owned Google and regulators on both sides of the Atlantic.

It comes as Google faces the prospect of class-action lawsuits after a federal judge ruled last month that the tech giant violated US antitrust law by maintaining a monopoly on the online search market. Analysts say it could end up costing Google more than $100 billion.

Google is also facing a landmark antitrust lawsuit over its alleged monopoly in the digital advertising market. The DOJ and 17 states alleged that Google used illegal ad purchases and bidding tactics.


Related Articles

Back to top button