Google faces setback in effort to overturn EU antitrust fine in Android case
The fine, one of the largest ever, was imposed after the Commission found that Google leveraged the dominance of its Android mobile operating system to stifle competition and limit consumer choice by imposing restrictive terms on smartphone makers and mobile operators.
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Google faced a major blow in its prolonged legal battle with the European Union on Thursday, as a senior legal adviser to the bloc's highest court recommended rejecting the company's attempt to overturn a $4.7 billion antitrust fine over its Android operating system, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Juliane Kokott, advocate general at the European Court of Justice (ECJ), issued a non-binding option urging the court to dismiss Google's appeal and uphold a 2022 ruling from a lower tribunal that slightly trimmed the original fine imposed by the European Commission in 2018.
The fine, one of the largest ever, was imposed after the Commission found that Google leveraged the dominance of its Android mobile operating system to stifle competition and limit consumer choice by imposing restrictive terms on smartphone makers and mobile operators.
While Thursday's opinion is not legally binding, it carries significant weight. ECJ judges follow such recommendations in most cases, though a final ruling will be delivered at a later date after deliberations.
Kokott's summary stated that the lower court had been right to confirm that Google engaged in illegal conduct by tying its search and browser apps to the Android system, undermining rival technologies in the process, the report added.
In response, Google expressed disappointment with the advocate general's findings, the report added.
“If the court follows today’s opinion, it would discourage investment in open platforms and harm Android users, partners and app developers,” the company said in a statement, as per the report. Google added that Android has “created more choice for everyone and supports thousands of successful businesses in Europe and around the world.”
The Android case is part of a broader crackdown by the EU on Big Tech. Over the past decade, the European Commission has imposed more than 8 billion euros in antitrust fines on Google alone.
The company is still awaiting a separate decision in another EU investigation focused on its digital advertising business.
