European Commission loses court battle over €1.5bn Google fine
19 Sep 2024Reading time: 2 minutes
A nearly €1.5 billion fine imposed on Google by the European Commission has been annulled by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
The Commission imposed the fine, totalling €1.494 billion, on the search giant in 2019 after finding that it had abused its dominant position in the online search advertising intermediation market.
The decision related to Google’s AdSense for Search (AFS) service, which allows third-party publishers to display Google ads on their own websites’ search result pages.
Publishers seeking to use AFS were asked to sign service agreements with clauses restricting or prohibiting the display of ads from services competing with AFS.
The Commission argued that these “anti-competitive contractual restrictions” were illegal under EU antitrust rules.
In today’s judgment, the General Court upheld the majority of the Commission’s findings but annulled the decision by which the Commission imposed the fine on Google.
It said the Commission had, inter alia, failed to take into consideration all the relevant circumstances in its assessment of the duration of the contract clauses that the Commission had deemed abusive.
In a statement, Google said: “We are pleased that the court has recognised errors in the original decision and annulled the fine. We will review the full decision closely.”
Life event that changes all: Horse riding accident in Zimbabwe in 1993, a fractured skull et al including bipolar anxiety, chronic fatigue …. co-morbidities (Nietzche 'He who has the reason why can deal with any how' details my health history from 1993 to date). 17th 2017 August operation for breast cancer (no indications just an appointment came from BreastCheck through the Post). Trinity College Dublin Business Economics and Social Studies (but no degree) 1997-2003; UCD 1997/1998 night classes) essays, projects, writings. Trinity Horizon Programme 1997/98 (Centre for Women Studies Trinity College Dublin/St. Patrick's Foundation (Professor McKeon) EU Horizon funded: research study of 15 women (I was one of this group and it became the cornerstone of my journey to now 2017) over 9 mth period diagnosed with depression and their reintegration into society, with special emphasis on work, arts, further education; Notes from time at Trinity Horizon Project 1997/98; Articles written for Irishhealth.com 2003/2004; St Patricks Foundation monthly lecture notes for a specific period in time; Selection of Poetry including poems written by people I know; Quotations 1998-2017; other writings mainly with theme of social justice under the heading Citizen Journalism Ireland. Letters written to friends about life in Zimbabwe; Family history including Michael Comyn KC, my grandfather, my grandmother's family, the O'Donnellan ffrench Blake-Forsters; Moral wrong: An acrimonious divorce but the real injustice was the Catholic Church granting an annulment – you can read it and make your own judgment, I have mine. Topics I have written about include annual Brain Awareness week, Mashonaland Irish Associataion in Zimbabwe, Suicide (a life sentence to those left behind); Nostalgia: Tara Hill, Co. Meath.
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