Google on Tuesday appealed a record €4.3 billion ($4.5 billion) EU antitrust fine, imposed seven years ago, at Europe’s top court, arguing that the penalty punished its innovation.
The appeal to the Court of Justice of the European Union follows a lower tribunal’s 2021 decision to uphold the European Commission’s ruling but reduce the fine to €4.1 billion.
The European Commission had penalized Google for using its Android mobile operating system to limit competition by requiring manufacturers to pre-install Google Search, Chrome, and the Google Play app store on Android devices while blocking rival systems. EU antitrust regulators said these practices hindered competition.
Google’s lawyer, Alfonso Lamadrid, argued before the court that the Commission failed to meet its responsibilities during the investigation and had penalized Google for its innovation and market success. “These agreements and conditions did not restrict competition, they fostered it,” Lamadrid stated.
The court’s ruling, expected in the coming months, will be final and cannot be appealed. Meanwhile, Google remains under EU scrutiny over its advertising technology business, with a decision on that case anticipated later this year.
