European Union: EC sanctions Google with a fine of EUR 4.34 billion for abuse of dominance regarding its search engine

On 18 July 2018, the European Commission (EC) fined Google EUR 4.34 billion for violations of EU antitrust rules by abusing its market dominance in the search engine market. Google was found to have restricted Android device manufacturers and mobile network operators in an effort to strengthen its dominant position in the search engine market. Specifically, Google was found to have tied its search app as well as Google Chrome to the Google Play Store, by restricting access to the Google Play Store to device-makers that pre-installed the aforementioned apps. Furthermore, Google made revenue share payments to device manufacturers conditional on the exclusive pre-installation of Google search and finally, restricted smartphone and tablet manufacturers from selling devices containing different Android versions (in light of Android being an open-source mobile operating system with an open-source license). Google now has 90 days to end the uncompetitive behaviour, or it will face additional penalties amounting to 5% of Alphabet's average daily worldwide turnover.