Google Android Decision Encouraging ‘Win’ for EU, Vestager Says

A European court ruling this week that upheld a record European Union antitrust fine against Alphabet Inc.’s Google over its Android mobile operating system represents a clear “win” for regulators who confront technology giants, said EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager.

European court upheld a record European Union antitrust fine against Alphabet Inc.’s Google over its Android mobile.  (REUTERS)

A European court ruling this week that upheld a record European Union antitrust fine against Alphabet Inc.'s Google over its Android mobile operating system represents a clear “win” for regulators who confront technology giants, said EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager.

“This is a win,” Vestager said in an interview with Bloomberg TV Thursday. “A huge majority of the case is completely upheld, which means that the court has confirmed our view. Because of that, we also feel the encouragement to continue enforcing when it comes to Big Tech. ”

EU judges on Wednesday upheld the vast majority of the European Commission's arguments against Google over Android, which regulators said cemented the dominance of the company's search engine. They slightly reduced Google's record-settling penalty to 4.1 billion euros ($4.1 billion) from 4.3 billion euros ($4.3 billion).

Vestager pointed out that the commission has ongoing competition inquiries into Apple Inc., Meta Platforms Inc. in addition to Google.

Wednesday's ruling can be appealed to the bloc's top court, the EU's Court of Justice.