Google Play is being investigated by the EU antitrust authorities as an appeal against an Android fine is underway.
The alphabet unit Google’s Google Play Store is the subject of an EU antitrust probe, the firm announced in a regulatory filing, potentially exposing the US tech behemoth to yet another billion-euro penalties.
Google has paid 8.25 billion euros ($8.24 billion) in EU antitrust fines over the previous decade as a result of three investigations into its business practises.
“In May 2022, the European Commission (EC) and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) each launched a formal investigation into Google Play’s business operations,” Google said in a quarterly financial report dated Oct. 25.
The European Union’s antitrust watchdog did not respond.
According to two people familiar with the case, EU antitrust officials are looking into whether Google’s threat to remove apps from its Play Store if app developers use other payment methods instead of its own billing system has harmed the developers.
Fees levied by Google and Apple in their mobile app stores have been criticised by developers as being high.
Separately, Google announced on Thursday that it will appeal its record 4.1 billion-euro EU antitrust fine to Europe’s highest court after a lower judge dismissed its plea last month.
The General Court in Luxembourg essentially supported the Commission’s 2018 ruling, but reduced the penalties from 4.34 billion euros to 4.125 billion euros.
Judges agreed with the European Union’s competition authority that Google had put illegal limitations on makers of Android mobile devices and mobile network providers in order to consolidate its search engine’s dominating position.
“We are working on our appeal. The court’s deadline is December 1 “According to a Google spokesman.
The corporation can only appeal to the European Union’s Court of Justice, which is situated in Luxembourg.
The EU is bolstering its antitrust power with new landmark digital laws aimed at limiting online gatekeepers, or corporations that control access to their platforms and data, with which companies must comply by the first quarter of 2024.
