Explainer: What are the global antitrust lawsuits against Google?

A month after a US court ruled that Google’s search engine was an illegal monopoly, the tech giant is facing another legal challenge.

This week, the European Union’s highest court rejected Google’s appeal against a $2.7 billion fine imposed by the European Commission in 2017.

The fine was imposed for violating antitrust rules related to the price comparison service. The European Commission, the main antitrust enforcer for the 27-nation bloc, found that Google had abused its dominant market position.

The original 2017 European Commission decision accused Google of gaining an unfair advantage by directing users to its own Google Shopping service, putting competitors at a disadvantage.

The decision was one of a series of multibillion-dollar fines imposed on Google over the past decade, covering cases related to its Android operating system and AdSense advertising platform.

In India, Google has also faced criticism for its billing policies, particularly the commission it charges developers for listing their apps on the Google Play Store.

In response, India has proposed a Digital Competition Bill, modelled on EU antitrust rules, that aims to address the concerns of companies with a significant digital presence.

Google, for its part, says the government’s arguments are based on an outdated view of the internet, when desktop computers dominated and users manually entered specific URLs.

According to Google, advertisers are now more likely to use social media platforms and streaming services to reach their target audience.

The company is currently facing significant pressure from its digital advertising business.

A federal antitrust trial is scheduled to begin Monday in which the U.S. Department of Justice accuses Google of having a monopoly in the “advertising technology” industry.