Google faces more legal hurdles in the EU

An adviser to Europe's top court has sided with the EU antitrust regulator as Google tries to appeal a €4.34 billion fine it was handed seven years ago.

Google faced a potentially unfavorable situation on June 19 when an adviser to Europe's highest court sided with the European Union's (EU) antitrust regulators.

The development comes as Google attempts to appeal a record 4.34 billion euro ($4.98 billion) fine it received seven years ago.

Previously, in 2018, the European Commission ruled that Google had abused its Android operating system to hinder competitors.

In 2022, a lower court upheld the EU's conclusion but reduced the fine to €4.1 billion.

Not accepting this ruling, Google continued to appeal to Europe's top court.

In her non-binding opinion, Juliane Kokott, legal adviser to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), asked the court to dismiss Google's appeal and uphold the fine as adjusted by the lower court.

Ms. Kokott said that the legal arguments put forward by Google were "ineffective."

She also rejected Google's argument that regulators should compare Google to another competitor when assessing the case.

Comparing Google to a theoretically similar performing competitor in this case is “unrealistic,” she said.

She stressed that Google has a dominant position in many markets within the Android ecosystem, thereby benefiting from network effects that help ensure users will use Google Search.

Typically, the justices will follow about four out of five similar nonbinding opinions. The court's final ruling is expected in the coming months.

On Google's part, a company spokesperson said Android has created more choice for all users, supporting thousands of successful businesses in Europe as well as around the world .

This person also expressed disappointment with Ms. Kokott's opinion, saying that the Court's acceptance of this opinion would affect investments in open platforms, causing disadvantages for Android users, partners as well as application developers.

Regulators allege that Google's violations began in 2011, when it required manufacturers to pre-install the Google Search online search app, the Chrome browser and the Google Play app store on their Android devices.

Google is also alleged to have paid manufacturers to pre-install only Google Search and prevent them from using other rival operating systems.

According to data from market data analysis site Statcounter, Google's Android operating system is currently running on about 73% of smartphones worldwide./.

(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/google-doi-mat-them-tro-ngai-phap-ly-tai-eu-post1045378.vnp