Google has appealed a $5 billion Android fine from the EU

[nir]

The company promised to challenge the decision this summer

On Tuesday, Google filed an appeal of the European Commission’s nearly $5 billion fine after a regulatory body decided that the Alphabet Inc. company was knowingly violating antitrust laws, the company confirmed to The Verge.

 

In its initial suit, the European Commission alleged that Google was abusing its market dominance over its Android operating system by bundling together products like Google search and Chrome apps, and paying other mobile manufacturers to include Google search as a default.

 

Following the decision in July, Google said that it would file an appeal, but according to The Wall Street Journal, it wasn’t filed until today. The initial decision gave Google 90 days to end the anti-competitive behaviors in order to continue offering the Google Play Store on devices. The appeal was filed only days before that period was set to end.

 

It’s the second major fine the company has faced from the EU’s antitrust body. The first came last summer when regulators alleged that Google was ranking its own shopping services higher than those of its competitors in search results. Google faced a $2.7 billion fine from the commission as a response to that behavior.

 

Source

 

[dhjohns]

WTF?  So they pay mobile manufacturers to use their products.  Sounds like a win-win situation.  EU fines them.  Suppose they stop doing it and pay.  First thing customers will do is install Google services just like the CRIPPLED N versions of Windows.  This benefits consumers how?  I think it is just to line the pockets of the EU.