Top EU Court adviser suggests Google should lose bid to overturn €4.1 billion fine

Advocate General Juliane Kokott of the Court of Justice of the EU mentioned Thursday that Google ought to lose its bid to overturn the bloc’s document €4.1 billion antitrust wonderful for its Android cellular working system.

Google’s observe of imposing restrictions on Android gadget producers and cellular community operators was a part of an general technique to protect its dominant place in search, Kokott mentioned in an opinion.

“Very few undertakings achieve such renown that their name gives rise to a verb. This alone attests to the importance that Google has acquired in everyday life,” she mentioned.

The advocate basic’s opinion helps the European Commission’s place that Google’s actions, comparable to pre-installing its search app and Chrome browser, and limiting producers from promoting gadgets with modified variations of Android quantity to market abuse.

Although her opinion will not be legally binding, the European Court of Justice usually follows the steering of the advocate basic, with a last choice anticipated later this 12 months.

Google was initially fined €4.34 ($4.98) billion in 2018, the biggest penalty ensuing from antitrust probes into its operations. In 2022, the General Court lowered the wonderful to €4.125 ($4.73) billion, a discount of €200 million that Kokott deemed applicable.

While the decrease court docket upheld the European Commission’s general findings, it diminished the wonderful as a result of flaws in how the EU measured the results of Google’s conduct. Google, nevertheless, contends that the court docket overstepped by successfully rewriting the Commission’s conclusions relating to its ties to gadget producers and app builders.

“Android has created more choice for everyone and supports thousands of successful businesses in Europe and around the world. We are disappointed with the opinion which, if it were followed by the Court, would discourage investment in open platforms and harm Android users, partners and app developers,” mentioned Google spokesperson Mathilde Méchin.