Brussels, September 18, 2024 – The Europe Today: The General Court of the European Union has ruled in favor of Google, overturning a €1.49 billion ($1.67 billion) fine imposed by the European Commission in 2019. The court’s decision on Wednesday marked a significant victory for the tech giant in a long-standing antitrust battle.
The European Commission, acting as the EU’s competition watchdog, had accused Google of violating competition laws by prioritizing its own shopping links in search results, a move that allegedly disadvantaged its competitors. The fine was one of three imposed on Google by the EU in the past decade.
However, in its ruling, the General Court stated, “The Commission’s decision is annulled in its entirety,” citing errors in the Commission’s assessment of Google’s contractual clauses with websites. These clauses had restricted the use of advertisements from rival companies.
Google, in response to the court’s ruling, expressed satisfaction. “We are pleased that the court has recognized errors in the original decision and annulled the fine,” a company spokesperson said. “We will review the full decision closely.”
Although the European Commission has the option to appeal the court’s decision, it would be limited to points of law.
This ruling follows a recent legal setback for Google, where the company lost an appeal against another antitrust fine related to how it promotes its own services over competitors’. The overturned fine was initially part of a broader push by the European Union to regulate tech giants and ensure fair competition across digital markets.
