Google Appeals Antitrust Fine 12/01 06:28

   

   LONDON (AP) -- Google is challenging a record European Union antitrust fine 
that took aim at the Android operating system's role in restricting mobile 
competition and consumer choice.

   The company said Thursday that it filed the appeal against the 4.125 billion 
euro ($4.3 billion) penalty "because there are areas that require legal 
clarification from the European Court of Justice," the EU's top court.

   Google previously appealed to a lower tribunal, which had slightly lowered 
the original 4.34 billion-euro penalty in a decision largely siding with the 
European Commission. It's the largest-ever antitrust fine issued by the 
commission, the 27-nation bloc's top competition watchdog.

   In its 2018 decision, the commission found that the dominance of Google's 
Android resulted in less competition and consumer choice. The U.S. tech giant 
had argued that free and open-source Android resulted in cheaper phones and 
spurred competition with its chief rival, Apple. Android is the most popular 
mobile operating system, beating Apple's iOS.

   "Android has created more choice for everyone, not less, and supports 
thousands of successful businesses in Europe and around the world," Google said 
Thursday.

   The fine was one of three blockbuster antitrust penalties that the 
commission hit Google with between 2017 and 2019, highlighting the bloc's early 
role in cracking down on tech giants.

   Google also is appealing its first EU antitrust penalty, a 2.4 billion-euro 
fine for unfairly favoring its Google Shopping comparison service, to the Court 
of Justice, which can only rule on points of law.

   It's appealing the third penalty, a 1.49 billion-euro fine for abusing its 
dominance in online search ads, to the EU court's lower tribunal.