Google loses EU court appeal against €2.4b fine

Google lost its final court appeal on Tuesday against a European Union (EU) fine of 2.4 billion euros, for abuse of its dominant position by favoring its own comparison shopping service, reported Xinhua.

In 2017, the Commission determined that in 13 countries within the European Economic Area, Google prioritized its own comparison shopping service by displaying it at the top of its general search results. Meanwhile, competing comparison shopping services appeared only as standard generic search results.

The Commission therefore concluded that Google had abused its dominant position in the markets for online general searches and for specialized product searches, and imposed the fine.

Following a lower court's ruling to uphold the Commission's decision and maintain that fine, Google and its parent firm Alphabet appealed to the Court of Justice.

"By today's judgment, the Court of Justice dismisses the appeal and thus upholds the judgment of the General Court," the court said in a press release.

The Court of Justice said that EU law does not sanction the existence of a dominant position, but only its abusive exploitation.

"In essence, the Google Shopping case was a catalyst for change, inspiring a more vigilant and proactive approach to regulating big tech and ensuring a fairer digital marketplace," said Margrethe Vestager, executive vice president of the European Commission for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age, following Tuesday's court ruling.