The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that Google must pay a €2.4 billion (£2 billion) fine for abusing its dominant position in the shopping comparison market, a decision that brings an end to a protracted legal battle that began in 2009. The fine, originally imposed by the European Commission in 2017, was the largest penalty ever levied by the Commission at the time, though it has since been surpassed by a €4.3 billion fine against Google for other antitrust violations.
The court’s ruling rejected Google’s appeal, affirming the Commission’s finding that the tech giant had engaged in discriminatory practices by prioritizing its own shopping service over competitors. Google and its parent company Alphabet were also ordered to bear their own legal costs and pay the European Commission’s expenses.
In response, Google expressed its disappointment with the ruling, but emphasized that it had implemented changes in 2017 to address the Commission’s concerns. The company claimed these changes have been effective, generating billions of clicks for more than 800 comparison shopping services.
The case originated from a complaint filed by British comparison site Foundem, which argued that Google’s search algorithm unfairly promoted its own shopping recommendations. This complaint was later joined by other affected parties, including Kelkoo, which celebrated the ruling as a victory for fair competition and consumer choice.
Anne Witt, a professor of law at EDHEC Business School’s Augmented Law Institute, described the judgment as “an important development,” noting that Google has now exhausted its legal remedies in this case. Witt also pointed out that Google could face additional legal challenges, as several follow-on actions seeking compensation for losses caused by Google’s alleged anti-competitive practices are already underway in national courts.
This ruling adds to Google’s extensive list of antitrust penalties from the European Commission, which have now totaled €8.2 billion. These fines include:
- €2.4 billion in 2017 for shopping comparison results.
- €4.3 billion in 2018 for leveraging Android software to promote its own apps.
- €1.5 billion in 2019 for blocking ads from rival search engines.
Additionally, the EU is investigating Google under its Digital Markets Act to determine if the company unfairly favors its own goods and services in search results. If found guilty, Google could face fines of up to 10% of its annual turnover.
The ongoing scrutiny of Google by European regulators underscores the broader trend of increased regulatory action against major tech companies, reflecting growing concerns over market dominance and anti-competitive practices.
