Google challenges EU’s record $5 billion antitrust fine

By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Alphabet unit Google on Tuesday challenged a record €4.34bn (£3.8bn) fine imposed three months ago by European antitrust authorities for using its popular Android mobile operating system to block rivals.

“We have now appealed the EC’s Android decision to the General Court of the European Union,” Google said in an email. The company had previously said it would take the case to Europe’s second-highest court in Luxembourg.

The company cited arguments made by Chief Executive Sundar Pichai the day the EU ruling was announced in July, the most important of which was that Android had given consumers more choice, not less.

The European Commission in its July decision said Google had been abusing its dominant market position since 2011. The Android system, which device makers use for free, can be found on about 80% of smartphones worldwide.

EU law enforcement has found that Google’s illegal practices include forcing manufacturers to pre-install the Google search engine and Chrome browser along with the Google Play app store on Android devices,

EU antitrust authorities said the company paid manufacturers to pre-install only the Google search engine and prevented them from using rival Android systems.

The complicated case could take several years for judges to decide. A final appeal is possible at Europe’s highest court, the Court of Justice of the European Union, but only on legal issues.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee. Editing by Jane Merriman)