Il General Court of the European Union rejects the appeal of Google and reiterates the fine of 2,42 billion euros received by the group in 2017 for unfair commercial practices. The American giant had been fined by the European Commission for having illegally favored its e-commerce service, Google Shopping, harming competition.
The court therefore has rejected the appeal, presented by both Google and the parent company Alphabet, noting "the anti-competitive nature of the practice". In essence, Google has guaranteed a privileged positioning on the search engine for its internal service, confining its competitors to secondary positions.
Brussels had opened the investigation in 2010 following complaints from Twenga and Tripadvisor, two companies that offer services that compete with those of Google Shopping.
Despite upholding the ruling, the judges ruled that Google did not harm the general search market and therefore dropped the EU's proposed "extended infringement finding", which would have resulted in an even heavier fine.
