It didn’t happen right away. The European Commission slapped Google with a fine in 2018. A huge one.
The tech giant thought they could fight it. They hoped it would disappear in the legal haze.
They were wrong.
After eight years of appeals, the Court of Justice of the EU has ruled. The fine sticks. Google owes 4.1 billion euros ($4.7 billion) to the European Union. No more appeals.
The top court said previous rulings were correct. The dismissal of Google’s and Alphabet’s appeal confirms the penalty for abusing Google Search’s dominant position.
Android. That’s where it got them.
“The appeal… is dismissed, thereby confirming the Penalty imposed for Google Search’s abuse of… Android.”
Google isn’t happy. They sent out an email. A spokesperson claimed Android gives everyone more choice. They support thousands of businesses, apparently.
They argued this judgment ignores their massive investment in keeping the system open, interoperable, and free. They even pointed out that they adapted their agreements in 2018 to comply. Back then, too. They said they are focused on innovation.
Is anyone surprised?
The core issue remains the antitrust complaint. The Commission found that Google forced phone manufacturers like Samsung and Motorola into corners. If you wanted to license the Android OS, you had to stick to Google’s terms.
That made companies completely reliant on Google.
The killer条款 was the preinstallation rule.
Device makers had to load the Google Play Store and other search tools before shipping. It kept Google dominant. It locked everyone else out.
The fine was originally higher. 4.3 billion euros.
The Commission shaved off a chunk in 2022, landing on 4.1 billion. It was supposed to be easier for Google to pay if they settled other disputes. They didn’t settle enough to wipe the debt. So here we are.
Sundar Pichai hated the original news. He wrote a blog post calling the decision a miss.
He argued it overlooked the choice provided to thousands of phone makers. He mentioned millions of developers who built businesses on the platform. He talked about billions of consumers getting access to affordable smartphones.
Maybe they do.
But the money still changes hands. The check is written.
