LUXEMBOURG: Alphabet’s Google on Tuesday made a last-ditch effort at Europe’s top court to overturn a 2.42 billion euro ($2.6 billion) EU antitrust fine imposed for market abuse related to its shopping service, saying that regulators failed to show that its practices were anti-competitive.
Google turned to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) after the General Court in 2021 threw out its challenge to the fine levied by EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager in 2017.
It was the first of three penalties for anti-competitive practices that have cost Google 8.25 billion euros in total in the last decade.
Google lawyer Thomas Graf said the European Commission had failed to show that the company’s different treatment of rivals was abusive and that different treatment alone was not anti-competitive.
“Companies do not compete by treating competitors equally with themselves. They compete by treating them differently. The whole point of competition is for a company to differentiate itself from rivals. Not to align with rivals so that all are the same,” he told the panel of 15 judges.
“Qualifying every different treatment, and in particular different treatment of first party and third party businesses, as abusive would undermine competition. It would impair the ability and incentives of companies to compete and innovate,” Graf said.
Commission lawyer Fernando Castillo de la Torre dismissed Google’s arguments, saying the company had used its algorithms to unfairly favor its price comparison shopping service, in breach of EU antitrust laws.
“Google was entitled to apply algorithms that lower the visibility of certain results which were less relevant for a user query,” he said.
“What Google was not entitled to do was to use its dominance in general search in order to extend its position over comparison shopping by promoting results of its own services, and embellishing them with attractive features and apply algorithms that are prone to pushing down the results of rivals and showing those results without attractive features,” he said.
The CJEU will rule in the coming months.
This case and two others involving the Android mobile operating system and AdSense advertising service, however pale in comparison with the ongoing EU antitrust case into Google’s lucrative digital advertising business where regulators in June threatened to break up the company.
What is Google Alphabet
A Closer Look at the Tech Giant’s Restructuring
In the consistently developing universe of innovation, Google has stayed a conspicuous player for quite a long time. However, you could have known about Google’s change into something many refer to as “Letter set.” What precisely is Google Letter set, and how might this rebuilding affect the tech business and regular clients? In this thorough article, we’ll dig into the charming idea of the Google Letter set, its set of experiences, its auxiliaries, and its effect on the advanced scene.
The Genesis of Google Alphabet
The story of Google Alphabet begins in August 2015 when Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin announced a major corporate restructuring. The primary objective was to separate Google’s core internet business from its other innovative projects. This restructuring allowed each subsidiary to operate independently under the umbrella of Alphabet Inc.
The Founder of Google Alphabet Larry Page and Sergey Brin : CEO of Google Alphabet is Sundar Pichai
Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two splendid personalities behind Google, imagined Letters in order as a way to encourage development. By opening up Google’s center business from the imperatives of aggressive moonshot projects, they meant to give every auxiliary the independence and assets to flourish in their separate enterprises.
Alphabet Inc. currently encompasses various subsidiaries, each with its own unique mission and focus
| 5.1 Google | Google remains the most prominent subsidiary within Alphabet, dominating the internet search market and offering a wide array of products and services, including Gmail, YouTube, and Google Maps. |
| 5.2 Waymo | Waymo is Alphabet’s self-driving technology subsidiary, dedicated to advancing autonomous vehicle technology and revolutionizing transportation. |
| 5.3 Verily | Verily focuses on healthcare and life sciences, working on innovative projects like smart contact lenses and disease detection. |
| 5.4 Calico | Calico is dedicated to extending the human lifespan and health span by researching age-related diseases and interventions. |
The Future of Google Alphabet
The future of Google Alphabet is full of possibilities. With its diverse range of subsidiaries, the conglomerate is poised to continue shaping the tech industry and pushing the boundaries of innovation.