Google wins EU antitrust case, overturns $1.7 bln fine

Google secured a victory on Wednesday by overturning a 1.49 billion euro ($1.7 billion) antitrust fine imposed by the European Union (EU).

The ruling shows the challenges faced by outgoing EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, whose aggressive stance against Big Tech has produced mixed results in the courts.

The fine against Google stemmed from a 2019 European Commission ruling that accused the tech giant of abusing its dominance by preventing websites from using ad brokers other than its own AdSense platform. These anti-competitive practices were said to have taken place between 2006 and 2016.

However, the Luxembourg-based General Court partially disagreed with the Commission's decision. While it acknowledged that Google had engaged in anti-competitive behaviour, it annulled the fine, citing the Commission's failure to fully consider the broader context of the case.

The European Commission, which has the option to appeal the ruling to the European Court of Justice (CJEU), said it would review the judgement before deciding on next steps. This fine was part of a trio of penalties against Google by the EU, amounting to a total of 8.25 billion euros, following a complaint from Microsoft in 2010.