Google loses court fight against $2.8-billion EU antitrust decision

Alphabet unit Google lost an appeal against a 2.42-billion-euro European antitrust decision

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Alphabet unit Google lost an appeal against a 2.42-billion-euro ($2.8-billion) European antitrust decision on Wednesday, a major win for the bloc’s competition chief Margrethe Vestager in the first of three court rulings that will strengthen the EU’s push to regulate big tech.

Following are comments from complainants and lawyers on the General Court ruling:

Shivaun Raff, CEO of UK price comparison site founder whose complaint triggered EU shopping case

“The importance of ending Google’s ability to manipulate this unprecedented power to its own anti-competitive ends cannot be overstated.

Today’s judgment provides the Commission with a firm basis to now enforce its June 2017 Prohibition Decision—not just for the beleaguered comparison shopping market directly addressed by the Decision, but also for the travel, local, jobs and other vertical search markets for which this Decision sets a precedent.”

Richard Stables, CEO of Kelkoo group and google critic

“The real work starts now to fix the ineffective remedy that failed to restore competition and choice to the market – and which may ultimately undermine the efforts to regulate Big Tech in Europe.”

Markus Ferber, EU lawmaker

“This verdict sends a clear signal that even Big Tech companies cannot do as they please in digital markets. Rules are rules, even for Google.

However, the case still highlights some of the shortcomings of EU competition law. Since the case started in 2014, many of Google’s competitors have vanished from the market. Going forward, we need a legal basis that is watertight and allows for much swifter action to fight the abuses by Big Tech.”

MONIQUE GOYENS, director-general of European consumer group beuc

“Today’s General Court ruling makes clear that Google must give equal opportunities to all market players to compete on the basis of their own merit and gain consumers’ trust on an equal footing. In light of the ruling, we ask the European Commission to ensure that Google does not abuse its dominance as a search engine by giving its own services preference in other areas.”

Thomas Vinje, partner at law firm Clifford Chance and adviser to google rivals

“Google got whacked with this judgment and it is reverberating all the way to its Mountain View headquarters.

If Google is smart, it will take a page out of Microsoft’s playbook after its 2007 General Court failure, cut its losses, forego an appeal and move on.  It did Microsoft a world of good.

Today’s judgment gives the European Commission the ammunition it needs to tighten the screws on Google in other areas where it is throwing its weight around, like in online advertising, app stores and video streaming.”

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