The technology giant Google lost today the case it launched against the penalty of the European Union (EU) introduced because of the way the company does digital advertising.
The EU Court of Justice confirmed today the lower court's decision, rejecting Google's appeal against a 2,4 billion euro fine imposed by the European Commission (EC) for giving the company an illegal advantage in its shopping recommendations over rivals - in search results.
"With today's verdict, the Court of Justice rejects the appeal and thereby confirms the verdict of the General Court," the statement of the Court of Justice summarizing the decision states.
The EC accused Google of directing users to its Google Shopping without the right to search, causing damage to competing providers of the same services.
It is one of three fines in the amount of several billion euros that the EC has imposed on the company in the last ten years.
In 2017, the Commission fined the Silicon Valley giant because it found that Google was using its dominant position in the market to offer goods.
Google appealed to the EU's highest court after the lower General Court rejected its appeal.
"We are disappointed by the Court's decision, which refers to a very specific set of facts," Google said in a short statement.
The company Google previously stated that in 2017 it introduced changes in its operations in order to comply with the decision of the European Commission, which it states have worked well.
European consumer group BEUC welcomed the court's decision, saying it showed how the bloc's competition law "remains very relevant" in digital markets.
"Google has harmed millions of European consumers by making competing shopping services virtually invisible," CEO Agustin Reyna said.
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