The General Court of the European Union confirmed that Google as a provider Androidu abused his dominant position, and imposed a fine of 4,1 billion euros (roughly CZK 100,3 billion). The court's decision is the latest development in a 2018 case in which the US tech giant was fined by the European Commission for offering its operating system as an inseparable unit with its services.
The tribunal upheld the EC's allegations that Google forces smartphone makers to pre-install the Chrome web browser and Search app on their devices as part of a revenue-sharing scheme. The court confirmed the vast majority of the original charges, but disagreed with the EC in some aspects, which is why it decided to reduce the original fine of 4,3 billion euros by 200 million euros. The duration of the dispute also played a role in its reduction.
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The General Court is the second highest court of the European Union, which means that Google can appeal to its highest court, the Court of Justice. "We are disappointed that the court did not cancel the EC decision. Android has brought more options to everyone, not less, and supports thousands of successful businesses in Europe and around the world." stated in response to the Google Tribunal decision. He did not say if he will appeal the verdict, but it can be assumed.
