Google fails to overturn EU Android antitrust ruling but reduces its fine by 5 percent

Google has failed to convince Europe's General Court to overturn the Commission's ruling on its Android antitrust case and its decision to slap the company with a €4.3/US$4.3 billion fine. The General Court upheld the Commission's original ruling back in 2018 that Google used its dominant position in the market to impose restrictions on manufacturers that make Android phones and tablets. It did, however, reduce the fine a bit, deciding that €4.125 (US$4.121 billion) is the more appropriate amount based on its findings.

The Commission previously found that Google acted illegally by making it mandatory for Android manufacturers to pre-install its apps and its search engine. By doing so, the Commission said that the company was able to “cement its dominant position in general internet search.” That is a huge deal according to FairSearch, the group of organizations lobbying against Google's search dominance and the original complainant in the case, because Google's search engine is monetized with paid advertising. The tech giant makes most of its money from online advertising — based on information from Statista, Google's ad revenue in 2021 amounted to $209.49 billion.

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