Google and its parent company Alphabet lost their appeal against a $4.7 billion (€4.1 billion) antitrust fine imposed by the European Union. Europe's top court, the Court of Justice of the EU, dismissed Google's challenge, upholding a previous ruling that confirmed the penalty for Google Search's abuse of a dominant position within the Android operating system. The original fine, issued in 2018 by the European Commission, was €4.34 billion, later reduced to €4.125 billion in 2022 by a lower tribunal.
The case stems from allegations that Google used anti-competitive practices, specifically requiring phone manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and the Chrome browser, along with the Google Play app store, on Android devices. Google also allegedly prevented manufacturers from selling smart devices powered by alternative "forked" versions of Android by threatening to refuse them permission to pre-install its apps. The court found that these practices restricted competition and strengthened barriers to market entry, and that pre-installed apps benefited from a "status quo bias."
Despite Google's argument that its investments ensured Android remains open and free, the court sided with the EU's antitrust enforcer. This decision is expected to bolster Europe's crackdown on Big Tech. Google has accumulated nearly $12 billion (€11 billion) in EU fines over the past decade for various antitrust infringements, including a $2.6 billion (€2.4 billion) fine in September 2024 for abusing the market dominance of its shopping-comparison service and a $3.2 billion (€2.95 billion) fine in September 2025 for favoring its own products in online ads.
