Google is fighting multiple cases of running an illegal monopoly in the U.S. and the E.U. and has mostly been losing until now.
However, the tech giant has reason to rejoice by winning its appeal against a €1.49bn fine imposed by the E.U. Commission for market dominance abuse.
Google latest case
The latest ruling overturns the E.U. Commission’s accusations against Google of market dominance abuse by blocking rival search advertisers.
The Commission’s case was based around Google’s AdSense product, saying it made Google a broker for ads, and in doing so, the tech giant had abused its dominance by preventing websites from using alternative advertising brokers.
The Commission’s accusation was similar to present cases in the U.S., where the Federal Government also claims Google is acting like an ad broker.
Google wins in the E.U.
Google’s win against the €1.49bn fine imposed by the E.U. for market dominance abuse follows a recent loss in the same courts, where it was ordered to pay a €2.4bn fine.
Google had the case overturned because the courts ruled the European Commission “committed errors in its assessment” and failed to consider “all the relevant circumstances” about its market definition and contract clauses.
Because of those failings, the court determined the Commission didn’t establish “an abuse of dominant position.”
In response to the ruling, the E.U. Commission said it would “reflect on possible next steps.”
Google welcomes the ruling
In a much-needed win for Google, considering the multiple ongoing cases it’s facing for running an illegal monopoly, which has already resulted in €8.2bn of fines, Google gave this response:
- “We are pleased that the court has recognized errors in the original decision and annulled the fine.”
- “We will review the full decision closely.”
Google’s monopoly headaches continue
Besides Europe, Google has ongoing legal headaches in the U.S.
The federal government is also suing the tech giant. They allege Google is operating an illegal ad monopoly by dominating the online advertising industry.
While Google may celebrate its recent win in the E.U., it is still in court in Virginia and awaiting U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta’s decision on what actions to take after finding Google guilty of violating antitrust laws.
Alphabet argues its innocence by stating that the Federal accusations in Virginia are like a time capsule, the case is built on the internet of yesteryear, and Alphabet’s marketplace dominance is because it excels at what it does.
When he is not writing content, Terry can be found on his boat in Italy or chilling in his villa in Spain.
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