Android, EU Court confirms condemnation and maxi fine for Google
The EU Court essentially confirmed the European Commission's decision according to which Google "has imposed illegal restrictions on Android mobile device manufacturers and mobile network operators, in order to consolidate the dominant position of its search engine"
Google loses appeal: the EU Court confirmed the sentence of over 4 billion for abuse of dominant position.
The EU Court confirmed today the decision by which the Commission ruled that Google has imposed illegal restrictions on Android mobile device manufacturers and mobile network operators in order to consolidate the dominant position of its search engine.
The Commission launched a procedure on Google regarding Android 2 in April 2015, deciding the penalty for abuse of dominant position in July 2018.
However, "in order to take better account of the gravity and duration of the infringement, the Court nevertheless judges it appropriate to impose a fine of 4.125 billion euros on Google as the conclusion of a reasoning that differs, on several points, from that of the Commission.
The latter had imposed a fine of approximately 4.343 billion on Google, which is the largest fine ever imposed in Europe by a competition supervisory authority.
This is the second blow to the Mountain View giant by the EU antitrust: also in 2021 the General Court of the European Union had rejected Google's appeal against the 2.4 billion euro fine imposed by Brussels for abuse of dominant position with Google Shopping.
But Google can still appeal. Against the decision of the Court, within two months and ten days from the date of its notification, the company can still appeal the sentence at the highest court in the EU, the Court of Justice.
All the details.
FINE CONFIRMED (LITTLE REDUCED)
The EU Court confirms, to a large extent, the decision of the European Commission according to which Google "has imposed illegal restrictions on manufacturers of Android mobile devices and operators of mobile networks, in order to consolidate the dominant position of its search engine". It is read in a note which adds that "in order to take better account of the gravity and duration of the infringement, the Court nevertheless judges it appropriate to impose a fine on Google of 4.125 billion euros at the end of a reasoning that differs, on some points, from that of the Commission ".
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION DECISION IN 2018
In 2018, the European Commission fined Google € 4.34 billion (the largest ever received by Google) for abusing the dominant position of its Android operating system. According to the EU Antitrust, Google has used Android to consolidate its dominance in general internet search through payments to large manufacturers and mobile network operators and restrictions.
Notably, around 80% of Europeans used Android, which gave Google an unfair advantage to its apps, such as Chrome and Search, by forcing smartphone markets to pre-install them alongside its app store, Play. Google has also paid phone manufacturers and mobile operators to exclusively install Google search on devices as part of a revenue sharing scheme.
THE DEFENSE OF BIG G
For its part, Google said it has acted like countless other companies and that such payments and deals help keep Android a free operating system, criticizing the EU's decision for not keeping up with the economic reality of mobile software platforms.
“We are disappointed that the Court did not completely overturn the decision. Android has created more choice for everyone, not less, and supports thousands of successful businesses in Europe and around the world, ”a spokesperson for Google said.
And the Mountain View giant is facing the accusation of abuse of dominant position even "at home": in 2020 the United States Department of Justice has launched an antitrust lawsuit against the search giant. The prosecution claims that Google's exclusive deals are blocking rivals. Notably, Google pays billions of dollars annually to Apple., Samsung Electronics and other telecommunications giants to illegally maintain its place as the # 1 search engine. 1.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/android-tribunale-ue-conferma-condanna-e-maxi-multa-per-google/ on Wed, 14 Sep 2022 13:16:10 +0000.