EU court upholds €2.4 bln fine against Google

Europe's top court has upheld a €2.4 billion (£2 billion) fine against Google for abusing its market dominance in its shopping comparison service.

The fine, initially imposed by the European Commission in 2017, was the largest ever at that time, though it has since been exceeded by a €4.3 billion penalty against Google, News.Az reports citing foreign media.

It brings an end to a long-running case that was first brought by British firm Foundem in 2009, when the UK was still part of the EU.

Another of the complainants, shopping comparison site Kelkoo, called the ruling "a win for fair competition and consumer choice" in a post on X.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ), which made today's judgement, said in its ruling the Commission was right to find Google's conduct "discriminatory" and its appeal "must be dismissed in its entirety".

It ordered Google and owner Alphabet to bear their own costs and pay the costs incurred by the European Commission.

On Monday, Google was taken to court by the US government over its ad tech business - it has been accused of illegally operating a monopoly. That trial is ongoing.

Last week, UK regulators provisionally concluded Google used anti-competitive practices to dominate the market for online advertising technology.

News.Az