Google loses final appeal against EU antitrust fine

BRUSSELS:

Alphabet's Google on Thursday lost its final appeal against a record €4.1 billion ($4.69 billion) European Union antitrust fine over its Android mobile operating system, in a landmark ruling that strengthens the bloc's efforts to curb the market power of Big Tech.

The Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union upheld a 2022 ruling that reduced the original €4.34 billion penalty imposed by the European Commission in 2018 but confirmed the regulator's finding that Google had abused its dominant market position through its Android business practices. The Commission had accused Google of requiring smartphone manufacturers to pre-install Google Search.