The European Union's highest court has dismissed Google's final appeal against a record €4.1 billion ($4.7 billion) antitrust fine. This ruling ends an eight-year legal battle and leaves the penalty intact, closing off any further judicial routes for the company.
The penalty was originally imposed by the European Commission in 2018 on the grounds that Google abused the market power and mobile dominance of its Android operating system. Regulators found that the tech giant pressured phone manufacturers using Android to pre-install its search engine and Chrome browser to block rivals.
In its appeal, Google argued that the bloc was unfairly penalizing innovation. CEO Sundar Pichai had maintained that the Android system created more choice, not less. However, the judges ruled that regulators were right to punish the company for abusing its market power, a decision likely to boost Europe's crackdown on Big Tech.