Google has lost its lengthy legal battle to overturn a $4.69 billion fine imposed by the EU over requirements the tech giant forces on device manufacturers deploying its Android operating system.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the EU’s Court of Justice, the bloc’s highest court, ruled Thursday that it upheld the fine of $4.69 billion following an appeal by Google. The decision marks the culmination of a yearslong dispute over how Google uses its position in the digital economy to direct users to its own search engine on devices such as smartphones.
The European Commission fined Google a record 4.34 billion euros in 2018, alleging the company abused its dominant position in the digital economy through agreements that required manufacturers to preinstall its search engine and Chrome browser on Android devices in order to license the company’s app store.
When Google initially challenged the penalty in the EU’s general court, judges in the lower tribunal reduced the fine but upheld the overall ruling. Google then pursued an appeal in the EU’s highest court, which has now delivered its final decision.
In response to the ruling, Google said, “This judgment fails to recognize our significant investment to ensure Android remains open, interoperable and free.” A Google spokesperson stated Thursday that the company had already adapted its terms to comply with the original 2018 ruling.
The penalty represents the largest fine the EU has handed the search giant in years of efforts to curb its dominance online. The case centered on Google’s business practices related to its Android operating system, which powers billions of smartphones worldwide. The European Commission argued that by requiring device manufacturers to preinstall Google’s search engine and Chrome browser as a condition for licensing the Google Play app store, the company was leveraging its market position to maintain dominance in the search market.
The European Commission is also in the advanced stages of an investigation into the company’s compliance with the Digital Markets Act, the EU’s tech antitrust rulebook that entered into force in 2022. That law obliges companies classed as EU gatekeepers, like Google, to make it easier for rivals to compete with their widely popular services from search engines to app stores.
Google has consistently argued that its Android operating system promotes competition and innovation in the mobile device market by providing a free and open-source platform for manufacturers. The company maintains that its agreements with device makers were necessary to ensure a consistent user experience and to support the development and maintenance of the Android ecosystem.
Read more at the Wall Street Journal here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of AI, free speech, and online censorship.