Alphabet’s final appeal fails, locking in a €4.1 billion penalty for anticompetitive Android practices in the European Union.
The European Court of Justice rejected Alphabet’s final appeal, confirming a €4.1 billion antitrust fine against Google for abusing its dominant position in the Android ecosystem. The ruling ends all legal avenues for the company, which had challenged the penalty since 2018.
Regulators initially imposed a €4.34 billion fine, later reduced to €4.1 billion in 2022 after an earlier court ruling found insufficient evidence for some charges. The case centered on Google’s requirements for manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and Chrome to access the Play Store, along with financial incentives for exclusive search agreements.
Google stated it would review the decision but provided no immediate comment on further actions. The ruling reinforces EU scrutiny of Big Tech’s market practices, with potential implications for ongoing and future antitrust cases.