Google lost its long-running legal battle against a European Union antitrust fine of around €4.1 billion ($4.7 billion) after the bloc’s top court dismissed an appeal by the US technology giant and its parent company Alphabet.
The Court of Justice of the EU said on Thursday that the appeal against a previous judgment by the General Court was dismissed, confirming the penalty imposed over Google Search’s abuse of a dominant position in the context of the Android operating system.
The case dates back to 2018, when the European Commission found that Google had abused its dominant position by using pre-installation agreements and licensing conditions to promote Google Search and the Chrome browser on mobile devices running Android.
The Commission initially imposed an overall fine of €4.34 billion on Google, with Alphabet held jointly and severally liable for part of the penalty.
At first instance, the General Court upheld the classification of Google’s conduct as a single and continuous infringement, but partially annulled the Commission’s decision regarding certain revenue-sharing agreements with device manufacturers and mobile network operators.
Following that partial annulment, the General Court reduced the fine to €4.125 billion, with Alphabet jointly and severally liable for €1.52 billion.
