EU Court Upholds 4.1 Billion Euro Penalty Against Google

(LUXEMBOURG) – A record antitrust fine of 4.125 billion euros, equivalent to about 26.8 trillion South Sudanese pounds at current market rates, has been upheld against Google by the European Union’s highest court, in a case that may influence how South Sudan and other developing nations approach regulation of dominant digital platforms.

The Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg dismissed an appeal filed by Google and its parent company Alphabet on Thursday, July 2, confirming the penalty for abusing its dominant position through the Android mobile operating system.

The proceedings began in 2018, when the European Commission concluded that Google had imposed illegal restrictions on manufacturers of Android based mobile devices and mobile network operators to strengthen the dominant position of its search engine. Initially, the European Commission imposed a fine of 4.34 billion euros on the company.

The European General Court in 2022 upheld the European Commission’s decision on the fine but reduced its amount to 4.125 billion euros. During the new review, Google tried to challenge the decision, claiming errors made by the court of first instance in assessing the circumstances of the case. However, the EU Court in Luxembourg, the highest European judicial instance, sided with the antitrust authorities.

Google representatives called the lawsuit unfounded, accusing the court of not taking into account the company’s investments in the openness of Android for users. Earlier, the company accused the EU of turning a blind eye to Apple’s similar practice of promoting its own services on the iPhone.

This case is just one of several antitrust disputes between Google and the European Union. The fine imposed on the company became a record during the work of EU antitrust authorities. Over the past ten years, Google has been fined nearly 11 billion euros in the EU for various violations of antitrust legislation.