Google Loses EU Antitrust Appeal, Faces Record 7.3 Trillion Won Fine

Google has lost its legal battle against the European Union, which spanned eight years, in its attempt to overturn a massive fine exceeding 7 trillion won.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) announced on July 2 (local time) that it has dismissed the appeal filed by Google and its parent company, Alphabet, against a ruling by the EU General Court. Consequently, the fine imposed on Google for abusing its dominant market position regarding the Android operating system has been upheld.
While Google previously succeeded in having its fine reduced from 4.343 billion euros (approximately 7.67 trillion won) to 4.125 billion euros (approximately 7.29 trillion won) during the first trial, it failed to overturn the penalty itself.
This amount remains the largest fine ever imposed by the EU.
In 2018, the European Commission issued the fine, stating that Google had excluded competitors by requiring smartphone manufacturers to pre-install its search engine and Chrome browser as a condition for including the Google Play app store.
During the trial, Google argued that Android users were not forced to use Google apps and could download other apps with a single touch, but the court did not accept these arguments.
In addition to this case, the EU imposed a fine of 2.4 billion euros (approximately 4.2 trillion won) in 2017, alleging that Google favored its own service, Google Shopping, in its search results. In 2019, it issued another fine of 1.5 billion euros (approximately 2.6 trillion won) for practices related to providing Google search functions and placing advertisements on third-party websites.
In September of last year, the EU imposed an additional fine of 2.95 billion euros (approximately 5.2 trillion won), accusing Google of abusing its market dominance to favor its own ad exchange, AdX, while acting as an intermediary between websites and advertisers.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.