Europe’s top court has ordered that Google must pay a €4.1 billion (£3.5 billion) fine for using its Android mobile operating system to hinder competitors. The European Commission originally imposed a €4.3 billion (then £3.9 billion) fine in 2018, which was reduced to €4.1 billion in 2022. The tech giant’s appeal has now been dismissed.
This is the largest punishment the Commission has ever issued on Google. A Google spokeswoman stated that the decision “fails to recognise” the company’s enormous investment in keeping Android open, interoperable, and free.In any case, we updated our agreements to comply with the initial ruling in 2018, and we remain committed to continuous innovation and openness for our users, partners, and developers,” they added.
When the fine was first announced in 2018, it was claimed that Google had acted illegally in three ways. It was noted that Google’s version of Android did not prevent users from downloading other web browsers or using other search engines.
In reaction to the original fine, Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a blog post that the decision “rejects the business model that supports Android, which has created more choice for everyone, not less. The European Commission has initiated many cases against Google and its parent firm, Alphabet.
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