Alphabet’s Google has successfully challenged a $1.66 billion antitrust fine imposed by the European Commission five years ago.
The fine was related to Google’s AdSense platform and its alleged abuse of dominance in online search advertising [3).
The European Commission had accused Google of preventing websites from using brokers other than AdSense, which provided search adverts, between 2006 and 2016.
However, the Luxembourg-based General Court annulled the fine, stating that the Commission failed to consider all relevant circumstances in assessing the duration of contractual clauses deemed unfair [3).
According to the judges, “The court (…) upheld most of the commission’s assessments, but annulled the decision imposing a fine of almost 1.5 billion euros on Google…”
This decision came as a relief for Google, which had already changed the targeted contracts in 2016 before the Commission’s decision.
This fine was one of three imposed on Google, totaling 8.25 billion euros. The complaint was initially filed by Microsoft in 2010, alleging that Google’s practices hindered rivals in online search advertising [3).
Google’s win is a significant development, especially since the company lost its final fight against a 2.42 billion euro fine last week. That fine was levied for using its price comparison shopping service to gain an unfair advantage over smaller European rivals.
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