Google loses protracted antitrust fight and will have to pay record-breaking €4.1 billion fine equivalent to less than 3% of Alphabet's annual profit

4 weeks ago 7

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Google has lost another protracted antitrust fight in the EU. Back in 2018, the European Commission fined the company billions of euros over agreements that forced phone manufacturers to pre-load only Google products like Search, Chrome, and the Play app ​store on their Android devices, to the exclusion of rival products from competitors. Google has fought the fine up until yesterday.

Given how many of PC Gamer's own readers probably found this news story via any one of Google's products on their phone, this case remains a huge deal. Google originally faced a fine of €4.34 billion, but a lower tribunal revised this down to a still significant €4.1 billion in 2022.

Google then appealed this to the highest authority it could in Europe, the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union. The court has since dismissed Google's appeal and sided with the European Commission (via Reuters).