Judges from the EU's General Court upheld the majority of EU antitrust leader Margrethe Vestager's arguments about Google's power over its Android operating system, which were filed in 2018, and Google appealed in 2021. However, the court ruled to decrease the fine to 4.1 billion euros after determining that Google's revenue-sharing schemes with manufacturers were not an abuse of market power.
"The General Court largely confirms the commission's decision that Google imposed unlawful restrictions on manufacturers of Android mobile devices and mobile network operators in order to consolidate the dominant position of its search engine," the Luxembourg-based court said in a statement on the ruling.The initial 2018 charge against Google alleged that the company abused its market presence by restricting how Android phone makers sold their devices.
"We are disappointed that the court did not annul the decision in full," Google said in a statement."Android has created more choice for everyone, not less, and supports thousands of successful businesses in Europe and around the world." While this is a substantial loss for Google, it can still attempt to appeal the decision with the Court of Justice, the bloc's highest court, after a two-month delay.Google is facing similar antitrust pressure in the United States. The company was accused last week by the Justice Department's antitrust division of illegally buying off tech giants when it paid companies to use Google Search as their primary search engine. It has also been investing in lobbying against Sen.
Google Sweet! Keep on fining Google and Facebook. Put them out of existence.