The General Court of the European Union has ruled in favor of Google, absolving them from paying a fine of 1.49 billion euros imposed by the European Commission in 2019. The EC had fined Google for attempting to restrict competition in the online advertising business, requiring partners using AdSense to comply with various conditions. Google had lodged an appeal with the General Court.
The court stated that the EC did not have sufficient clear evidence to demonstrate that Google had imposed the specified restrictions on partners as alleged in the infringement. Google’s representatives argued that this case pertains solely to the display of ads from search results, involving a limited number of partner websites. Google had addressed problematic clauses in the agreement since 2016, prior to the EC’s notification of wrongdoing, hence they were satisfied with the verdict and exemption from the fine. EC representatives stated that they will continue to fight in the next stage, at the European Union’s highest court, the Court of Justice.
Source: CNBC
TLDR: The General Court of the European Union ruled in favor of Google, relieving them of a 1.49 billion euro fine imposed by the European Commission for alleged competition restrictions in online advertising. Google had made changes to the agreements prior to the EC’s notice, leading to the court’s decision in their favor. EC plans to pursue the case further at the Court of Justice.
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