Google finally has something it lacked in antitrust battles: a court victory

Google captured a much-needed antitrust win on Wednesday after persuading the European Union’s second-highest court to toss a $1.7 billion fine imposed by the bloc's competition watchdog. Read More...

Google (GOOG, GOOGL) captured an antitrust win on Wednesday after persuading the European Union’s second-highest court to toss a $1.7 billion fine imposed by the bloc’s competition watchdog.

The victory, which extinguished a penalty over the European Commission’s finding that Google’s AdSense business illegally rivals from premium ad space, stands in contrast to antitrust defeats that have been piling up against the tech giant.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai testifies at a House Judiciary Committee hearing “examining Google and its Data Collection, Use and Filtering Practices” on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 11, 2018. REUTERS/Jim Young — Google CEO Sundar Pichai. REUTERS/Jim Young (REUTERS / Reuters)

In June, a US federal district court judge sided with the US Justice Department in a ruling that said Google used illegal tactics to hold onto its monopoly in the online search engine market.

And in September, the EC persuaded the EU’s top court to approve its $2.7 billion fine against Google for favoring its shopping business over rivals.

Meanwhile in the UK, that nation’s antitrust regulator, the Competition & Markets Authority, is investigating whether Google’s Ad Tech businesses violated antitrust laws.

In a provisional finding, the CMA said it believed the tech giant had broken the law.

Google's former AdSense restrictions for rival ad sellers, according to the European Commission's March 20, 2019 allegations. — Google’s former AdSense restrictions for rival ad sellers, according to the European Commission’s March 20, 2019 allegations. (European Commission)

And the dispute over the EU’s AdSense business may not be over.

The EC can appeal the General Court’s decision to annul the fine to the EU’s highest court. And the court also made clear in its ruling that it upheld the “majority” of the lower court’s findings that said Google’s AdSense business violated EU antitrust law.

And there are still more unsettled antitrust battles brewing.

Google’s lawyers are defending the company in an ongoing trial in a federal district court in Virginia. The challenge, brought by the US Justice Department alleges that Google used illegal tactics to gain and hold onto its Ad Tech empire.

In the EU, Google is fighting another fine, on appeal.

In 2018, the EC fined Google $4.5 billion, based on its finding that the company illegally required Android-based mobile phone manufacturers to install Google’s search and web browser apps in order to access the Google Play Store.

Alexis Keenan is a legal reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow Alexis on X @alexiskweed.

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