Home / Business and Economy / Google's €4.1B EU Fine Upheld!
Google's €4.1B EU Fine Upheld!
2 Jul
Summary
- EU's highest court upheld a record €4.1 billion fine against Google.
- The fine was for antitrust violations concerning Android's default apps.
- Google faces ongoing antitrust scrutiny under the Digital Markets Act.
The European Union's Court of Justice has definitively upheld a record-setting €4.1 billion fine against Google. This judgment, issued on July 2, 2026, confirms the financial penalty first imposed on Google in 2018 for antitrust violations concerning its Android mobile operating system. The court found that Google abused its dominant market position by requiring device manufacturers to pre-install Chrome, Google Search, and other Google apps.
This practice effectively limited competition in the search market, where Google holds a significant share. The original fine was calculated based on Google's search advertising revenue within the European Economic Area. Google was ordered to cease this conduct within 90 days of the initial decision.
This ruling follows a recommendation from the European Court of Justice's advocate general a year ago to dismiss Google's appeal. It is not the first major antitrust penalty Google has faced in the EU; the company lost a final appeal in 2024 regarding a separate €2.4 billion fine from 2017 for its shopping search monopoly.
Google remains under scrutiny from EU regulators under the new Digital Markets Act. Accusations include unfairly favoring its own services and preventing app developers from directing users to alternative payment methods. Investigations are also ongoing regarding concerns that Google may be unfairly demoting news search results.
