Google has once again faced a setback in its attempt to appeal an antitrust decision by the European Commission from 2017. The Commission found that Google’s shopping comparison service violated competition laws, resulting in a €2.42 billion penalty and mandatory changes to its operations.
After appealing the decision, the General Court of the European Union largely upheld the Commission’s findings, stating that Google’s self-preferencing of its shopping service in search results was anti-competitive. However, the Court overturned the aspect of the ruling related to anticompetitive effects on the general search services market.
Google further contested the decision by petitioning the Court of Justice of the EU, which recently issued a ruling agreeing with the General Court. The CJEU deemed Google’s conduct discriminatory and not within the scope of fair competition, disappointing the tech giant.
In response to the latest ruling, a Google spokesperson expressed disappointment but highlighted the changes made to comply with the Commission’s decision in 2017. Google plans to continue supporting comparison shopping services despite the legal challenges.
Meanwhile, Apple also faced a significant setback as the CJEU ruled that the tech giant owed $15 billion in back taxes and penalties related to illegal tax breaks in Ireland. This decision overturned a previous ruling in Apple’s favor and required Ireland to recover the unlawful aid granted to the company.
Apple responded by emphasizing its commitment to paying taxes and complying with international tax laws, expressing disappointment with the CJEU’s decision. The European Commission’s competition chief is expected to address these rulings in a press conference later today.
