Google Wins Appeal Against $1.66 Billion EU Fine

Google has overturned a €1.49 billion ($1.66 billion) antitrust fine imposed by the European Commission in 2019 for allegedly hindering competition in online search advertising.

The General Court of Luxembourg annulled the fine but upheld most of the Commission’s findings. The case stemmed from allegations that Google had abused its market dominance by restricting websites from using ad brokers other than its AdSense platform between 2006 and 2016. It was based on a 2010 complaint from Microsoft and formed part of a broader series of antitrust investigations against Google.

While the court agreed with much of the Commission's assessment, it ruled that the fine should be voided, citing that the Commission did not fully account for relevant factors, particularly the length of time certain unfair contractual clauses were in place. Google had already made changes to these contracts in 2016, before the Commission's decision.
The ruling follows a separate case where Google lost its final appeal against a €2.42 billion fine over its price comparison shopping service. With this annulment, the total fines imposed on Google by the European Union in antitrust cases have been reduced to €8.25 billion.