EU court upholds Google fine of over 4 billion euros
This has been reported by the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The Court of Justice of the European Union has dismissed the appeal lodged by Google and its parent company, Alphabet, against the ruling of the General Court of the European Union. This means that the fine in the Google Android case remains in force.
The decision is final and cannot be further appealed.
The Court of Justice of the European Union stated that the General Court had correctly assessed the anti-competitive effects of Google’s practices relating to the Android operating system. In particular, this concerned the terms of the pre-installation of Google apps and agreements that could have restricted competition in digital markets.
Why Google was fined
The case began with a 2018 decision by the European Commission. At that time, the regulator found that Google had abused its dominant position in the market for mobile operating systems and app stores for Android.
According to the European Commission’s findings, the company required smartphone and tablet manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and the Chrome browser as a condition for obtaining a licence for Google Play.
Google also entered into revenue-sharing agreements with certain device manufacturers and mobile network operators. Under these agreements, they received payments for the exclusive pre-installation of Google Search on specified devices.
Separately, the regulator assessed anti-fragmentation agreements, which restricted manufacturers’ ability to use alternative versions of Android that were incompatible with Google’s requirements.
How the fine amount changed
In 2018, the European Commission imposed a fine of €4.343 billion on Google.
In 2022, the General Court of the EU partially upheld the European Commission’s decision but reduced the fine to €4.125 billion. Alphabet’s liability within this amount was determined jointly and severally at over €1.52 billion.
Google and Alphabet subsequently lodged an appeal with the Court of Justice of the EU. On 2 July 2026, the Court of Justice of the EU dismissed the appeal and upheld the fine imposed by the General Court.
Why this decision is important
The Court of Justice of the European Union agreed that Google’s practices could have restricted competition, raised barriers to market entry and reinforced the company’s dominance within the Android ecosystem.
The Court also rejected Google’s arguments regarding an objective justification for the anti-fragmentation agreements. The company, in particular, explained these as necessary to protect the compatibility of the Android ecosystem; however, the judges did not consider these arguments sufficient.
In effect, the ruling brings to a close the eight-year legal dispute between Google and the EU institutions over the Android case. For European regulators, this is one of the largest confirmed antitrust fines imposed on the tech giant.
What Google said
During the proceedings, Google insisted that Android creates more choice for users and device manufacturers, rather than restricting competition. The company also claimed that its model had helped make smartphones more affordable and contributed to the development of the mobile market.
The EU court rejected these arguments and upheld the findings of anti-competitive practices relating to Android.
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