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EU appeals court maintains Google €4.1B fine for anti-competition infringement

EU appeals court maintains Google €4.1B fine for anti-competition infringement

A European Union court maintained a decision that Google violated European Union (EU) competition rules. While the General Court to a great extent maintained a European Commission (EC) decision that Google participated in anti-competitive practices, the court lowered the recently imposed €4.3 billion fine to €4.1 billion. The EC fined Google in 2018 for anti-competitive practices disregarding Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU and Article 54 of the European Economic Arena Agreement. A lower court maintained a fine of €4.3 billion against Google. Google appealed the decision.

On appeal, the General Court found that Google disregarded anti-competition rules, in concurrence with the lower court’s decision. According to the EC, approximately 80% of all smart mobile devices utilized in Europe in 2018 were Androids. The EC asserted Google imposed contractual restrictions which advanced Google’s dominant position in the market. The court largely dismissed Google’s appeal, however consented to bring down the fine amount based on recalculations of the ad revenue sharing agreement restrictions.