Alphabet, the parent company of Google, was ordered to pay nearly $4 billion Wednesday after a European court largely slapped down the search giant’s appeal of a record-breaking fine for throttling competition and reducing consumer choice through the dominance of its mobile Android operating system.
The European Court of Justice’s General Court mostly confirmed a 2018 decision by the EU’s executive Commission to punish Google, reducing the initial $4.33 billion judgment to $3.99 billion.
The European Commission in its original verdict determined Google broke EU rules by compelling smartphone manufacturers to offer a bundle of pre-installed Google apps – including YouTube, Maps, and Gmail along with Google Search and Chrome – in its Play Store. The decision also found that Google prevented the sale of altered versions of the operating system.
Persecution Live 