Alphabet’s Google on Tuesday lost its battle against a 2.42 billion euro (2.7 billion dollars, or about Rs 22,673 crore) fine imposed seven years ago by European competition authorities. It is one of three hefty fines imposed on the company for various anti-competitive practices.
The European Commission fined the world’s most popular internet search engine in 2017 for using its own price comparison service to gain an unfair advantage over smaller European rivals.
A lower court upheld the European Competition Authority’s decision in 2021, prompting Google to appeal to the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg.
The judges of the CJEU noted that EU law does not sanction the existence of a dominant position, but rather its abuse.
“In particular, conduct by undertakings in a dominant position which has the effect of impeding competition on the basis of merit and is therefore likely to harm individual undertakings and consumers is prohibited,” the judge said.
Google has been hit with €8.25 billion (approximately Rs 76,436 crore) in EU antitrust fines over the past decade. It has challenged two rulings over its Android mobile operating system and AdSense advertising service and is awaiting the rulings.
The company is also fighting antitrust complaints filed by the EU last year that could force it to sell part of its lucrative adtech business after regulators accused the company of favoring its own advertising services.
The case is C-48/22 P Google and Alphabet v Commission (Google Shopping).
© Thomson Reuters 2024
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