Google Suffers Setback In Bid To Overturn EU Antitrust Fine

Google has faced a major setback in its attempt to overturn a multibillion-euro European Union (EU) antitrust penalty involving Android, after a top court’s legal adviser sided with regulators, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

The EU accused the U.S. tech giant of abusing the dominance of its Android mobile operating system to stifle competition and limit consumer choice.

The European Court of Justice’s advocate general, Juliane Kokott, recommended in a non-binding opinion that Google’s appeal against the fine—worth more than 4 billion euros ($4.7 billion)—should be dismissed.

The case dates back to 2018, when the EU’s executive Commission imposed a 4.134 billion-euro fine on Google, accusing the U.S. tech giant of abusing the dominance of its Android mobile operating system to stifle competition and limit consumer choice.

Following Google’s initial appeal, a lower court reduced the penalty to 4.125 billion euros in 2022. Google then appealed the reduced fine to the Court of Justice.

Kokott recommended that the court uphold the lower court’s ruling and confirm the fine.

Google said it was disappointed with the opinion, adding that if the court follows it, the decision “would discourage investment in open platforms and harm Android users, partners, and app developers.”