Google has successfully overturned a €1.49bn (£1.26bn) fine imposed by the EU for blocking rival online search advertisers. The European Commission had accused Google of abusing its dominant market position by limiting third-party rivals from displaying search ads between 2006 and 2016. However, Europe’s second-highest court found that the Commission had made “errors in its assessment” of the case. Reports Technology News
The Commission, which issued the fine, stated it would “reflect on possible next steps,” potentially including an appeal to the EU’s top court. Google welcomed the ruling, expressing satisfaction that the court recognized flaws in the original decision and annulled the fine. The company added that it would carefully review the full judgment.
This victory is a rare one for Google, which faced fines totaling 8.2 billion euros for antitrust violations between 2017 and 2019. Just last week, the tech giant failed to overturn one of those penalties.
Google’s ad tech practices are under scrutiny not just in Europe but globally. Earlier this month, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) provisionally ruled that Google engaged in anti-competitive behavior to dominate the market. Meanwhile, in the US, prosecutors are accusing Google’s parent company, Alphabet, of illegally maintaining a monopoly in the ad tech sector.
