Google and Apple lost the antitrust lawsuit in the European Union’s top court. They were charged with a whopping fine, and helped jumpstart an era of intensifying scrutiny for Big Tech companies.
The court declined Google’s appeal against the €2.4 billion ($2.7 billion) fine the European Commission imposed for its comparison shopping service’s breach of antitrust regulations. At the same time, the European Court of Justice ruled in favor of the commission in a case concerning unlawful state aid for global corporations. Consequently, Apple lost its appeal against Ireland’s directive to repay €13 billion ($14.34 billion) in taxes.
Moreover, according to various experts, these watchdogs have been given confidence in the years since Apple and Google were first opened. Gareth Mills, partner at law firm Charles Russell Speechlys, mentioned, “The Google ruling reflects the growing confidence with which competition regulators worldwide are tackling the perceived excesses of the Big Tech companies.” She further adds, “to back the legal rationale and the level of fine will undoubtedly embolden the competition regulators further.”
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Further, Alex Haffner, a competition partner at law firm Fladgate stated, “One of the takeaways from the Apple decision is the sense that, again, the EU authorities and courts are prepared to flex their (collective) muscles to bring Big Tech to heel where necessary.”
Now, both companies have exhausted their appeals in the decade-long cases. It is yet to be seen what happens next, but this case marks a victory for European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who has been serving as the commission’s top official overseeing competition for the last 10 years.
