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Google appeals its $5 billion EU antitrust fine
In July, the European Commission fined Google a record-setting €4.3 billion ($5 billion) for antitrust violations regarding its Android OS. Now, Google's pushing back on that fine. "We have now filed our appeal of the EC's Android decision at the General Court of the EU," the company told Reuters. Google said back in July that it planned to pursue an appeal and it argued at the time that its product has given consumers more choice, not less, like the EC has claimed. "Android has created more choice for everyone, not less. A vibrant ecosystem, rapid innovation and lower prices are classic hallmarks of robust competition," it said.
Justice Department antitrust head says big tech isn’t necessarily bad
Earlier this week, after Facebook and Twitter executives testified before Congress about misinformation, election meddling and content monitoring, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced he would be meeting with state AGs about social networks "intentionally stifling the free exchange of ideas." The talks will also address concerns over anti-competitiveness among big tech companies. But now, Makan Delrahim, the Justice Department's antitrust division head, has put those competition concerns into some context.
Google reportedly offered Android changes to EU in 2017
The European Union may have characterized its $5 billion Android antitrust fine as punishment for an intransigent Google, but the practical reality might be different. Bloomberg sources have claimed that Google offered to make changes to its Android policies in August 2017, not long after it received an EU antitrust penalty for its product search practices. Although Google didn't dive into specifics, it had offered to "loosen restrictions" in Android contracts and had considered distributing its apps in "two different ways."
Why does Google owe the EU $5 billion?
After the better part of three years' investigation, the European Union has announced that it will fine Google €4.34 billion ($5 billion). The company was found to have restricted competition through the use of its dominance in the mobile market. Officials believe that Google's business practices, including using Google Play rules to block manufacturers forking Android, is an abuse of its power. The Commission also believes that financial incentives were used to ensure that they "exclusively pre-install Google search on their devices." The fine is the largest in European Union history, dwarfing the €2.4 billion penalty handed out to Google in 2017. Confused? Let us help you get all caught up.
Google fined $5.04 billion for forcing its apps onto Android phones
Europe has imposed a record-setting €4.3 billion ($5 billion) fine on Google for antitrust violations around its Android smartphone operating system. In 2016, the EU Commission charged Google with forcing mobile network operators to install Chrome, search and other Google apps as the default or exclusive search service on most devices sold in Europe. With a market share of over 80 percent in many countries, that effectively locked others out of the search market, creating a near-monopoly for the search giant.
Google could face a massive EU Android competition fine in July
Judgement on Google's ongoing antitrust Android case could be passed as soon as next month, according to people familiar with the issue, and it seems that things aren't looking good for the company. The Financial Times and Politico report that while the size of the potential fine is unclear, it's likely to be higher than the $2.8 billion Google was hit with last year in a separate case, and could be as high as $11 billion, since the European Commission has the power to impose fines up to 10 percent of a business' global turnover.
