Google lost the appeal: the company is obliged to pay a fine of 2.4 billion euros

Google Corporation suffered another defeat in the European Union, losing an appeal in the anti-monopoly court of Luxembourg. This means that the company has to pay a fine of 2.42 billion euros imposed by the European Commission back in 2017. This is reported by Reuters.

The fine was imposed on Google for abusing its dominant position in the market for price comparison services. The European Commission found that the company used its search engine to favor its own price comparison service, limiting the opportunities of smaller European competitors. This decision was one of the biggest victories in the fight against the anti-competitive behavior of large technology companies.

The Court of the European Union confirmed the legality of the imposed fine, stressing that the EU does not punish for market dominance itself, but for the abuse of this position. Thus, Google was found guilty of violating competition law, which was intended to protect smaller market players from discriminatory practices by the technology giant.

Over the past ten years, Google has regularly faced antitrust sanctions in the European Union. The total amount of fines imposed on the company during this period reaches 8.25 billion euros. In addition to this decision, Google has already appealed two other cases related to the Android operating system and the AdSense advertising platform, and is currently awaiting a court verdict.

Despite attempts to challenge these decisions, the legal position of the European Union remains clear: large technology companies must adhere to the principles of fair competition. This court decision was another signal to the market that EU regulators are ready to act decisively to ensure a level playing field for all market participants.

The court's decision sets a precedent that could influence further investigations against tech giants in Europe, strengthening the EU's position in the fight against monopolistic practices in digital markets.