Google loses fight against EU’s record $4.7B fine – Business News
Google on Thursday misplaced its final bid to overturn a record-breaking $4.7 billion antitrust fine from the European Union, the newest blow as abroad regulators search to crack down on Big Tech.
The EU’s high courtroom dismissed Google’s appeal of a 2018 European Commission ruling accusing it of anti-competitive practices, particularly attacking its promotion of Google Search and Chrome on Android units.
“The Court of Justice dismisses the appeal brought by Google and Alphabet against that judgment of the General Court, thereby confirming the penalty imposed on them, as revised by the General Court, for their anticompetitive practices relating to the Android operating system,” the EU Court of Justice mentioned in a assertion Thursday.
Google on Thursday misplaced its final bid to overturn a record-breaking $4.7 billion antitrust fine. REUTERS
Shares in Alphabet, which owns Google, fell 1.3%.
Google has been interesting the landmark resolution, which argued the Silicon Valley tech giant abused its huge share of the smartphone market by making its apps pre-installed on Android units.
Google has no additional skill to appeal the choice, ending an eight-year-long courtroom battle.
“Android provides more choice for everyone and supports thousands of businesses. This judgment fails to recognize our significant investment to ensure Android remains open, interoperable and free,” a Google spokesperson instructed The Post in a assertion.
“In any event, we adapted our agreements to comply with the initial decision back in 2018 and we remain focused on continued innovation and openness for our users, partners and developers.”
Google has tried to stave off the Commission’s antitrust allegations by permitting Android customers to modify between serps and browsers, as a substitute of being caught with solely Google apps.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai at a Google builders convention on May 19, 2026. Bloomberg through Getty Images
But the 4.1 billion euro fine – which was lowered from an initial 4.34 billion euros – is only one of a number of anticompetitive complaints the EU has lodged against Google over the previous decade.
The European Union final 12 months slapped Google with a 3 billion euro, $3.45 billion, penalty for alleged self-preferencing practices in its profitable promoting technology business.
President Trump has railed against European regulators’ makes an attempt to reel in Big Tech, accusing the physique of overreach and threatening to retaliate.
Last month, he instructed The Post he warned French President Emmanuel Macron to ditch a 3% tax on US tech giants together with Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Apple or face 100% tariffs on French wine.
Trump later wrote in a Truth Social post that he would impose a “100% TARIFF” on any nation that hits US corporations with a digital companies tax – saying the new levy “will supersede Trade Deals made with the Country.”
European international locations together with the UK, Spain, Italy, Austria and Denmark have additionally adopted a digital service tax.
