Google is appealing against the €4.34 billion fine imposed on it by the European Union. According to the EU, the company has misused the popular mobile operating system Android to harm competition. Google does not agree with this analysis and therefore appeals.
This is reported by Reuters on the basis of reports from Google itself. We have filed our appeal about the decision on Android, according to Google in a mail. The case will be taken to the Second Supreme Court of the European Union in Luxembourg. There, a judge will have to decide who’s right.
Illegal practices
The European Union’s competition authority ruled that Google was engaging in illegal practices regarding Android. For example, manufacturers would be forced to install Google Search and Google Chrome, as well as the Google Play app on their devices. They should also not use rival Android systems.
According to the European Union, this is not permitted. In July, the EU reported that Google had abused its dominant position in the market since it became so big in 2011 with Android. Currently, the operating system, which is free for manufacturers to use, accounts for almost eighty percent of the world’s smartphones.
According to Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai, Android offers more choice for consumers. However, the EU believes that this is not the case; on the contrary, Google would have done everything in its power to tie consumers to its platform. It led to a billion-dollar fine that Google hopes to reverse.
Experts believe that it will take several years before a judgment is passed on the case. There is still the possibility of an appeal before the European Court of Justice. However, this can only be judged on the legality of the judgment.
This news article was automatically translated from Dutch to give Techzine.eu a head start. All news articles after September 1, 2019 are written in native English and NOT translated. All our background stories are written in native English as well. For more information read our launch article.
7 hours ago
