The end is in sight for this decade-long legal battle over Android, with Google losing its chance to overturn a €4.1 billion fine (~RM19 billion). The European Court of Justice ruled the search engine unfair in how it handled Android. This long-running saga first started when the European Commission imposed its penalty on Google in 2018.
As a quick primer, the EU fined Google for abusing Android’s dominance in the operating system sphere. Android is, by default, free for phone makers to use, but the EU found that Google took the chance to attach certain conditions that give their own services an unfair advantage in the competitive market. The conditions were to pre-install Google services or else access to the Google Play Store is denied.
Now, with the Play Store being the central hub for all applications, it stands at a position of vital importance. Due to this, phone makers have no choice but to adhere to Google’s conditions to gain access to the all-important Google Play Store.
Google takes it even further by paying manufacturers and mobile carriers to pre-install Google Search on their phones. Additionally, the company restricted alternative versions of Android, preventing manufacturers from selling devices running modified versions of the operating system. This, in turn, made it much harder for rival search engines and browsers to compete.
The search engine attempted to appeal for years but lost in the end with the fine originally issued in 2018 at €4.34 billion (~RM20 billion) but reduced to €4.1 billion (~RM19 billion) in 2022. Europe’s highest court has since upheld that reduced amount, eventually ending the prolonged legal battle.
Ultimately, this decision reinforces the EU’s stance on how big tech companies can’t use their dominant platforms to push their own products or services at the expense of competitors. This further strengthens future antitrust enforcement by encouraging other companies to seek damages from Google for its past Android practices.
It may be the end for this legal showdown, but with Google constantly finding itself at the centre of lawsuits, we can never be too sure.
Natrisha contributed to this article.