The European Union finally drops the massive fine on Google over Android   

The technological giant has lost its appeal

Bad word for Google , after the European Union reaffirmed its ruling from 2018 that highlighted the tech giant’s anti-competitive monopolistic practices by imposing “unlawful restrictions” on Android smartphone makers to exclusively use its own the search engine.

Google has been trying for some time to appeal, after the fine was steep, reaching 4.3 billion euros. In the end, it may not have been able to completely overturn the decision, but the General Court of the European Union slightly reduced the record fine to €4.1 billion . The court announced it was “largely confirming” the original ruling, at a time when the EU is generally under the microscope of so-called ‘Big Tech’ companies, preparing special legislation to boost competition.

For the record, after today’s decision, Google made statements, stressing:

We are disappointed that the Court did not completely overturn the decision. Android has created more choice for everyone, not less, and supports thousands of successful businesses in Europe and around the world.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that we are dealing with a decision from the General Court of the European Union, which has the second highest level. This means that Google can try to appeal again and send the matter to the highest court, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), two months from now.