EU Court Upholds Google's Android Antitrust Fine

The Court of Justice of the European Union has dismissed an appeal by Google and its parent company, Alphabet, upholding a fine of €4.125bn ($4.7bn) imposed by the European Commission for abusing Google's dominant position through the Android operating system.

The case began in 2018, when the Commission imposed a record fine of €4.343bn ($5bn). It concluded that Google had breached EU antitrust rules by requiring mobile device manufacturers, through its licensing agreements, to pre-install Google Search and the Chrome browser.

The EU's General Court later reduced the fine to €4.125bn ($4.7bn) after annulling part of the Commission's decision relating to revenue-sharing agreements.

In its latest ruling, the Court of Justice confirmed that the General Court had correctly found the pre-installation requirements to be anti-competitive. It said pre-installed apps create a status quo that favors Google, restricts competition and raises barriers to market entry.

The court also rejected Google's argument that the agreements were objectively justified as a way to prevent fragmentation of the Android operating system.

The ruling exhausts Google's legal options to challenge the fine. Alphabet remains jointly and severally liable for part of the penalty, amounting to €1.52bn ($1.7bn).

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