Google Overturns €1.49 Billion EU Antitrust Fine, Qualcomm's Appeal Falls Short

In a significant legal victory, Google successfully challenged a €1.49 billion ($1.66 billion) antitrust fine imposed by the European Union. Meanwhile, chipmaker Qualcomm saw limited success, with its fine reduced slightly but ultimately upheld.

The rulings highlight the mixed results of outgoing EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager in her efforts to regulate major tech firms. Recently, she achieved notable victories against both Google and Apple regarding tax arrangements with Irish authorities.

The European Commission originally fined Google in 2019 for abusing its market dominance by restricting websites from using alternative advertising brokers to its AdSense platform from 2006 to 2016. However, the EU’s General Court, part of the European Court of Justice, agreed with the Commission’s findings but annulled the fine, stating that the Commission did not sufficiently consider all relevant circumstances.

The judges remarked that the Commission had not adequately shown that Google’s practices deterred innovation, maintained its dominant market position in online search advertising, or harmed consumers. Google welcomed the court’s decision, noting that it had already amended its contracts in 2016 to address the concerns raised by the Commission.

The European Commission now has the option to appeal to the European Court of Justice for a legal review of the ruling.

In contrast, Qualcomm’s appeal against a 2019 fine of €242 million for predatory pricing practices was only partially successful, with the fine reduced to €238.7 million. The court dismissed Qualcomm’s arguments, reaffirming the Commission’s stance that the chipmaker had sold its products below cost to undermine competitor Icera, now part of Nvidia. Qualcomm is also considering its options for appeal.