Google set to appeal record Brussels fine

Internet giant Google is set to lodge an appeal against its record monopoly abuse fine by the European Commission earlier this summer.

The European Commission finedthecompany€2.4billion (£2bn) last June for abusing its market dominance as a search engine by giving an illegal advantage to another Google product, its price comparison shopping service website.

The EC said this breached anti-trust laws in the single market, and EC competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said at the time “Google’s strategy for its comparison shopping service wasn’t just about attracting customers by making its product better than those of its rivals.

“Instead, Google abused its market dominance as a search engine by promoting its own comparison shopping service in its search results, and demoting those of competitors.”

However, the Silicon Valley giant’s hand was seen as strengthened last week when Intel won an appeal over its own 1.1bn euro fine for breaking competition law.

Vestager has carried out three parallel antitrust investigations into Google, as well as pursuing fellow tech multinationals like Facebook and Apple.

The Google fine was the biggest for anti-trust offences in the European Union’s history, exceeding what Intel was ordered to pay eight years ago.

Apple has already appealed against the commission’s demand that Ireland take back €12bn in allegedly unpaid taxes. 0 EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager