EU court mulls November ruling for Google's $2.8bn EU antitrust fine

The Alphabet-owned company has been accused of favouring its own service and treating smaller European rivals unfairly

FILE PHOTO: An illuminated Google logo is seen inside an office building in Zurich September 5, 2018. REUTERS/Arnd WIegmann/File Photo
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Europe's second-top court will rule on Google's challenge against a €2.4 billion (Dh10.36bn) EU antitrust fine on November 10, the first of a trio of cases, sources said on Tuesday.

The European Commission issued the fine on the world's most popular internet search engine in 2017 for favouring its own price-comparison shopping service and giving it an unfair advantage against smaller European rivals.

Google told the Luxembourg-based General Court at a hearing last year that making innovative products was the core of its business model rather than helping rivals. It denied favouring its own service.

The court and Google did not respond immediately to requests for comment or confirmation of the EU ruling date.

The losing side can appeal to the EU Court of Justice (CJEU), Europe's top court.

The Alphabet-owned company has racked up a total of €8.25bn in EU antitrust fines related to this price comparison shopping case and two other cases in the last decade.


Updated: July 20, 2021, 2:05 PM