In 2017 the commission imposed a €2.4bn (£2.1bn) penalty after finding that Google had used its dominant search engine to skew the market in favour of its internet shopping service. Google is appealing against that decision.
In a separate case, the commission has accused Google of blocking search-engine rivals on third-party websites. The case centres on Google’s AdSense product, which allows websites to install a customised search engine and benefit from advertising revenues.
In the Android case, Google was accused of breaking EU rules on three counts. First, by requiring manufacturers to pre-install Google search as the default search engine on Android devices, as a condition for licensing Google’s app store, Play Store.
The second anti-competitive behaviour was preventing smartphone manufacturers from running competing systems that had not been approved by Google. Third, Google was found to have denied consumers choice by paying manufacturers and mobile phone operators to pre-install Google Search.
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