Top EU court confirms contested €2.4 billion fine for Google

The European's Union top court confirmed on Tuesday a fine worth €2.4 billion ($2.7 billion) for Google for breaching EU competition rules with its price comparison service Google Shopping.

The ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) brings an end to the lengthy legal dispute between the US tech giant and the European Commission in Brussels.

The commission first imposed the fine in 2017, arguing the search engine operator favoured its own price comparison service Google Shopping over those of its competitors and therefore abused its market power.

Google had logged an unsuccessful complaint with the EU's general court in 2020 and had then appealed to the bloc's highest jurisdiction.

The search engine operator had argued that treating competitors differently is inherent in competition and innovation, not an antitrust violation.

The European Court of Justice's ruling is final and cannot be challenged.