Tech giant
ECJ General Prosecutor calls for a billion dollar penalty for Google
The EU Commission put on a billion dollar penalty because it abuse its dominance in cell phones. The US group pulls up to the ECJ – but according to the general lawyer, things are clear.
In the legal dispute over the dominant position of Google at smartphones, the general lawyer at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) joins the demand for a billion dollar penalty. Google’s objection to the punishment of over 4.1 billion euros set in the first instance are unfounded, wrote general lawyer Juliane Kokott in her final applications. The general attorney’s opinion is not binding for the judges – but they often follow her.
The commission accused the tech giant that manufacturers of mobile devices and mobile phone providers impose illegal restrictions on. Accordingly, manufacturers were only able to receive a license for Google’s app store if they pre-installed Google’s search app and browser. The US group wants to strengthen its position in search services to increase its advertisements – and have misused its dominant position.
The Brussels authority therefore dilated Google in 2018 on a penalty of around 4.3 billion euros. In the first instance, the EU court reduced the punishment to around 4.1 billion euros. The general lawyer recommends the judges at the ECJ to confirm this sentence.
dpa
Source: Stern
