The European Commission announced this week that it has fined Google € 2.42 billion (approximately $ 2.8 billion) for violating European Union antitrust rules by favoring its own advertising services.
Historic Antitrust Ruling Targets Google’s Advertising Practices
Regulators concluded that Google “abused its dominant positions” by giving preference to its AdX ad exchange through both its publisher ad server and its ad-buying tools.
The fine represents the second-largest antitrust penalty in EU history, following a $5 billion ruling against Google in 2018.
Harvard University Wins Landmark Court Battle Over $2 Billion Federal Funding Freeze – USA Herald
The Infringement
According to the September 4 Commission press release:
“Google is a US multinational technology company with advertising as the main source of revenue. In particular, Google: (i) sells advertising on its own websites and applications; and (ii) intermediates between advertisers that want to place their ads online and publishers (i.e., third-party websites and apps) that can supply that space.”
