Google Loses Appeal on EU Fine for Hurting Online Shopping Competitors

Google Loses Appeal on EU Fine: Key Insights

• Court Ruling: Google lost its appeal against a $2.7 billion fine from the EU for unfairly favoring its own shopping service.

• EU's Stand: The ruling reinforces that Google abused its dominant position, limiting choice for users.

• Global Impact: This is part of Google’s broader legal challenges, with over $8 billion in EU fines and additional cases in the U.S. targeting its business practices.

Google’s appeal to overturn a $2.7 billion fine imposed by the European Union was rejected by the EU's top court. The European Commission had originally fined the company in 2017 for unfairly prioritizing its own "comparison shopping service" in search results, hurting smaller competitors. The EU Court of Justice ruled that the fine was justified, saying Google abused its dominant position in online search.

A Win for Competition

EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager, who has led multiple cases against Google, called the ruling a "big win for digital fairness. It confirms that Google favored its own comparison shopping service and actively limited choice for European users,” Vestager said.

Ongoing Legal Troubles for Google

This is just one of several fines against Google. The company has faced over $8 billion in penalties from the EU for antitrust violations. In 2022, Google lost another appeal of a $4 billion fine related to its Android operating system. In 2019, the company was also fined $1.69 billion for blocking competitors in online advertising.

Google: U.S. Legal Battles

Google’s legal problems are not limited to Europe. In the U.S., a federal court recently ruled that the company operates an illegal monopoly in online search. Another ongoing trial may result in the breakup of parts of Google’s business, including its digital advertising division.

Google is yet to comment on the EU court's decision.