Google Looks to Topple $5 Billion EU Antitrust Fine With Appeal

Google on Monday (Sept. 27) launched its appeal to rescind the $5 billion antitrust fine levied by the European Union, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Google argues that its Android operating system for mobile devices has bolstered competition instead of diminishing it, according to the report.

In a bid to topple the 2018 decision from the bloc’s antitrust regulator, Google offered oral arguments in Luxembourg in front of the EU’s court. Google is fighting to overturn the court ruling, which determined that the tech giant had illicitly taken advantage of Android’s market power to compel manufacturers and distributors of Android devices into contracts focused on broadening the power of Google search on mobile devices.

As PYMNTS reported, in the past 10 years, Google has been hit with a total of $9.7 billion in EU antitrust fines. In addition to the $5 billion fine under appeal, Google is appealing a $2.8 billion fine stemming from allegations that Google used its search engine to gain eCommerce shoppers over competitors in Europe. Europe’s General Court in Luxembourg has set Nov. 10 as the date it will rule on Google’s challenge.

Read more: EU Court Schedules Decision on Google’s Challenge to $2.8B Fine

In an effort to rein in Google’s purported power, the EU last year levied new rules against the company, including regulations on data sharing and the operation of digital marketplaces, according to PYMNTS. Under the Digital Services Act (DSA), tech giants like Google could be forced to offer data access to smaller companies according to reasonable, standardized and non-discriminatory terms.

See also: New EU Rules Target Google for Anti-Competitive Practices

In June, the European Commission launched a formal investigation into Google’s digital advertising tactics and will determine whether competition laws in the EU were violated, PYMNTS reported at the time. The probe aims to determine whether Google favored its own digital advertising services as opposed to those of other advertisers and online publishers. The investigation will assess whether Google closed third parties out of user data for advertising purposes and instead kept the information in-house for its own use.

Related news: EU Antitrust Commission Opens Formal Inquest Into Google’s Digital Ad Tactics