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Investing.com - A fight by Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s Google against a massive 4.34 billion euro slapped on the search giant by the European Union seven years ago faces a possible hurdle after an adviser to Europe’s highest court backed the ruling of EU competition regulators.
A 2018 decision from the European Commission found that Google had used its Android operating system to surpress its rivals for years, particularly by requiring manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and its Chrome browser along with its Google Play app store on Android devices.
In 2022, the finding was supported by a lower tribunal, although the fine was cut marginally to 4.1 billion euros.
Google appealed the finding to Europe’s top court, asking that its business considered in conjunction with the performance of a competitor.
However, Juliane Kokott, Advocate-General at the Court of Justice of the European Union, said in a non-binding opinion that Google’s legal arguments were "ineffective." Kokott added that it is "not realistic, in the present case" to compare Google with a rival, noting that the company had such a dominant position in "several markets of the Android-ecosystem" that it was able to all but ensure that users only used its search offering.
In a statement quoted by Reuters, a Google spokesperson said the group was "disappointed with the opinion," warning that, should judges follow the advice in a ruling expected in the coming months, it would "discourage investment in open platforms and harm Android users, partners and app developers."
Google has incurred fines worth up to a total of 8.25 billion euros that stem from three multi-year investigations into its practices. Further probes are ongoing.
(Reuters contributed reporting.)