European Commission fines Google €2.42 billion for abusing dominant position
Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2025 9:49 am
The European Commission (EC) has decided to fine Google €2.42 billion for abusing its dominant position in the service offered by the online shopping comparison giant.
This is the largest fine imposed by the European Union (EU) to date, surpassing those previously imposed on Microsoft or Intel for the same reason or for violating antitrust laws.
“Google has developed many innovative products and services that have changed our lives. That is good. But Google’s strategy for its comparison shopping service was not just about attracting customers by making its own products better than those of its rivals,” explained Margrethe Vestager , European Commissioner for Competition, as reported by the newspaper El Mundo .
“Instead, Google has abused its dominant market position as a search engine to promote its own comparison shopping service in search results, undermining those of its competitors. What Google has done is illegal .”
" It has denied other companies the opportunity to compete belgium phone number on their merits and to innovate . More importantly, it has denied European consumers genuine choice of services and the full benefits of innovation."
The search giant has been given 90 days to end the conduct for which it has been fined since June 27. If it fails to comply with the deadline, it faces a fine that could amount to up to 5% of the global daily revenue of Alphabet , the company's parent company.
Google has expressed its disagreement with the EC decision . It did so through its vice president and lawyer, Kent Walker. “We will review the Commission's decision in detail and consider an appeal, and we will continue to defend our case.”
This is a decision that has been taken after more than five years of investigation. In April 2015, the European Commission sent Google a statement of charges containing the accusations.
In July of last year, they reinforced the accusations by establishing that Google had abused its dominant position, “systematically favouring its shopping comparison services on the search engine results pages.”
The investigators believe they have sufficient evidence to show that Google has abused its dominant position in the European market in order to promote its own products.
The tech giant already defended itself last year by arguing that its services should not be analysed separately. The best way to do this is through a broader framework of services offered by other platforms such as Amazon or eBay .
These allegations have not convinced the European Commission, which has not hesitated to pass judgment.
This is the largest fine imposed by the European Union (EU) to date, surpassing those previously imposed on Microsoft or Intel for the same reason or for violating antitrust laws.
“Google has developed many innovative products and services that have changed our lives. That is good. But Google’s strategy for its comparison shopping service was not just about attracting customers by making its own products better than those of its rivals,” explained Margrethe Vestager , European Commissioner for Competition, as reported by the newspaper El Mundo .
“Instead, Google has abused its dominant market position as a search engine to promote its own comparison shopping service in search results, undermining those of its competitors. What Google has done is illegal .”
" It has denied other companies the opportunity to compete belgium phone number on their merits and to innovate . More importantly, it has denied European consumers genuine choice of services and the full benefits of innovation."
The search giant has been given 90 days to end the conduct for which it has been fined since June 27. If it fails to comply with the deadline, it faces a fine that could amount to up to 5% of the global daily revenue of Alphabet , the company's parent company.
Google has expressed its disagreement with the EC decision . It did so through its vice president and lawyer, Kent Walker. “We will review the Commission's decision in detail and consider an appeal, and we will continue to defend our case.”
This is a decision that has been taken after more than five years of investigation. In April 2015, the European Commission sent Google a statement of charges containing the accusations.
In July of last year, they reinforced the accusations by establishing that Google had abused its dominant position, “systematically favouring its shopping comparison services on the search engine results pages.”
The investigators believe they have sufficient evidence to show that Google has abused its dominant position in the European market in order to promote its own products.
The tech giant already defended itself last year by arguing that its services should not be analysed separately. The best way to do this is through a broader framework of services offered by other platforms such as Amazon or eBay .
These allegations have not convinced the European Commission, which has not hesitated to pass judgment.