Google has lost its final appeal against a €4.1 billion ($4.8 billion) antitrust fine imposed by the European Union over the company’s Android business practices.
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), the bloc’s highest court, on Thursday upheld the penalty, bringing to an end an eight-year legal battle between Google and European regulators.
The European Commission originally fined Google €4.34 billion in 2018 after concluding that the company abused Android’s dominant market position by requiring smartphone manufacturers to pre-install Google Search, Chrome and the Google Play Store on Android devices while restricting the use of rival Android operating systems.
In 2022, the EU General Court reduced the penalty to €4.1 billion but upheld the Commission’s findings that Google had engaged in anti-competitive conduct.
Google and its parent company, Alphabet, subsequently appealed the decision to the CJEU.
Dismissing the appeal, the court said it was confirming the penalty imposed on Google for abusing its dominant position through Android.
“The appeal brought by Google and its parent company Alphabet against the judgment of the General Court is dismissed, thereby confirming the penalty imposed for Google Search’s abuse of a dominant position in the context of the Android operating system,” the court ruled.
Responding to the judgment, Google said it had already modified its Android licensing agreements following the Commission’s original decision in 2018.
A company spokesperson said the ruling did not adequately recognise Google’s investments in keeping Android open and interoperable.
Google has accumulated nearly €11 billion in antitrust fines from the European Union over the past decade.
The company also faces additional regulatory scrutiny under the EU’s Digital Markets Act over allegations that it favours its own services in search results and app distribution.
