The EU Hit Google With a Record $4.7 Billion Fine. The Company Just Lost the Fight Over Paying It.

Google has lost its final legal challenge against one of the largest antitrust penalties ever imposed by the European Union, cementing a landmark victory for European regulators after an eight-year legal battle.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), the bloc’s highest court, dismissed Google’s appeal and upheld a €4.1 billion ($4.7 billion) fine over the company’s Android business practices. The issue began after the European Commission accused Google of illegally using the dominance of its Android mobile operating system to suppress competition.

The case dates back to 2018, when the European Commission imposed a record €4.34 billion fine after concluding that Google had required smartphone manufacturers to pre-install Google Search, the Chrome browser, and the Google Play Store as conditions for licensing its Android operating system.

Regulators also found that Google prevented manufacturers from selling devices running competing versions of Android, limiting rivals’ ability to gain a foothold in the mobile ecosystem. Although the EU’s General Court reduced the fine to €4.1 billion in 2022, it largely agreed with the Commission’s findings.

Google then appealed to the CJEU, arguing that Android’s open-source model had increased consumer choice and competition by enabling manufacturers to produce affordable smartphones that could compete with Apple’s iPhone. Europe’s highest court rejected those arguments, confirming both the lower court’s judgment and the reduced penalty.

In its ruling, the court confirmed that Google had abused its dominant position by imposing contractual restrictions on smartphone manufacturers that strengthened Google’s search engine dominance and made it more difficult for competitors to compete. The decision leaves intact what remains the European Union’s largest antitrust fine against Google. Google expressed disappointment with the outcome.

“Android provides more choice for everyone and supports thousands of businesses,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement. “This judgment fails to recognize our significant investment to ensure Android remains open, interoperable and free.”

The company added that it had already modified its commercial agreements to comply with the European Commission’s original 2018 decision and remains focused on innovation and maintaining an open Android ecosystem.

The decision represents another significant milestone in the European Union’s increasingly aggressive enforcement of competition law against major technology companies. Over the past decade, Google has faced multiple multibillion-euro antitrust penalties from Brussels, including a €2.42 billion fine over its comparison shopping service and a separate case involving its advertising business.

Collectively, the Commission has fined Google nearly €11 billion across several competition investigations. Thursday’s judgment is likely to reinforce the EU’s broader regulatory agenda, which now extends beyond traditional antitrust enforcement through legislation such as the Digital Markets Act.