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The Courts Android EU Google

Record $4.5 Billion EU Fine Punished Its Innovation, Google Tells EU Court (yahoo.com) 57

Google has appealed a record $4.5 billion EU antitrust fine to the European Court of Justice, arguing that the European Commission's decision punished its innovation and imposed unfair penalties for agreements requiring pre-installation of its apps on Android devices. Reuters reports: Google's appeal to the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union comes two years after a lower tribunal sided with the European Commission which said the company used its Android mobile operating system to quash rivals. The lower court trimmed the fine to 4.1 billion euros.

"Google does not contest or shy away from its responsibility under the law, but the Commission also has a responsibility when it runs investigations, when it seeks to reshape markets and second-guess pro-competitive business models, and when it imposes multi-billion-euro fines," Google lawyer Alfonso Lamadrid told the court. "In this case, the Commission failed to discharge its burden and its responsibility and, relying on multiple errors of law, punished Google for its superior merits, attractiveness and innovation," he said.
The final ruling is expected in the coming months and cannot be appealed.
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Record $4.5 Billion EU Fine Punished Its Innovation, Google Tells EU Court

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  • Right (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ArchieBunker ( 132337 ) on Tuesday January 28, 2025 @07:56PM (#65126613)

    Other than shitty search results, they haven’t innovated anything in a good 15 years.

    • Re:Right (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Random361 ( 6742804 ) on Tuesday January 28, 2025 @08:08PM (#65126625)

      I beg to differ. They've invented things. The problem is that they all die horrible catastrophic deaths then they patent-lock it. See killedbygoogle. [killedbygoogle.com]

      • Re:Right (Score:5, Insightful)

        by geekmux ( 1040042 ) on Tuesday January 28, 2025 @08:27PM (#65126653)

        I beg to differ. They've invented things. The problem is that they all die horrible catastrophic deaths then they patent-lock it. See killedbygoogle. [killedbygoogle.com]

        The arrogant irony of Google bitching about others punishing their ability to innovate as they squat on a fucking war chest full of unused Patents they refuse to let go of, is not lost.

        We should understand that while Patent Trolls are bad, Patent Whores are the real killers of innovation.

        • Re:Right (Score:5, Insightful)

          by sg_oneill ( 159032 ) on Tuesday January 28, 2025 @10:23PM (#65126787)

          Patents really should be treated like trademarks and have a use-it-or-lose it condition. Something like "You have 3 years to prove to the patent examiner that your actively creating products based on the innovation, or at least working to promptly bring it to market, or it expires, and no merely licensing out the innovation doesnt count.

          And yeah, get rid of software patents altogether.

        • The big tech companies all hold a trove of patents to be used defensively. The idea is mutually assured destruction -- sue Microsoft for patent infringement and they can surely find something you do that's covered by one of theirs.

          This is probably a good thing insofar as they have essentially disclaimed offensive use of them even against smaller competitors.

    • Re: Right (Score:1, Flamebait)

      Indeed and it is the fault of the EU.
    • they haven’t innovated anything in a good 15 years.

      I'm not so sure. They seemed to have come up with new innovative ways to avoid taxes.

    • by thsths ( 31372 )

      The innovation here is that they completely ignored EU data protection legislation, and this was extremely profitable.

      Great idea. But not very original, and not very different from - say - the drug mafia.

  • Can we follow it?

  • by bubblyceiling ( 7940768 ) on Tuesday January 28, 2025 @08:24PM (#65126647)
    Yeah we don't want that. The average consumer doesn't want Google forcing apps on their phones
    • by couchslug ( 175151 ) on Tuesday January 28, 2025 @09:50PM (#65126747)

      Techies forget the average consumer knows nothing of technology except how to use the little bit they require for their simple tasks.

      Privacy is not an issue to them. They have no concept of anything technical and never will. They like ease of use and fashion statements, that is all.

      • Techies forget the average consumer knows nothing of technology except how to use the little bit they require for their simple tasks.

        Privacy is not an issue to them. They have no concept of anything technical and never will. They like ease of use and fashion statements, that is all.

        You're right, but did you have to put it so bluntly? You've totally destroyed what little illusion I had left that non-technical people might have some small sense of how we're all being screwed over, or at least that they could be educated about it.

        But yeah, I've heard of a lot of techies - people in IT departments, even seasoned hands - who either don't get it or or don't care. In that case, what hope do we have of making average citizens care?

      • Techies forget the average consumer knows nothing of technology except how to use the little bit they require for their simple tasks.

        Privacy is not an issue to them. They have no concept of anything technical and never will. They like ease of use and fashion statements, that is all.

        Do you know how logic gates work? How registers are modified by the code you write? There are many layers of abstraction. You are criticizing those who operate with but a few more than yourself. We are all living in glass houses...

      • Lol, tell that to all the MAGA people screaming about 5G in their chips. They care about privacy. A lot
    • by Anonymous Coward

      The average consumer doesn't want to be dragged into far-right culture wars on their phone.

      But here we have these clowns promising to rename Gulf of Mexico in their Maps application.

      Resist Google.

      • by Temkin ( 112574 )

        But here we have these clowns promising to rename Gulf of Mexico in their Maps application.

        Can someone pull up the French version of Google Maps and tell us what they call the "English Channel"? Just curious... But lazy...

  • FTFY (Score:5, Informative)

    by jenningsthecat ( 1525947 ) on Tuesday January 28, 2025 @10:35PM (#65126803)

    ... the European Commission's decision punished its innovation and imposed unfair penalties for agreements requiring pre-installation of its apps on Android devices.

    ... the European Commission's decision punished its overreach and lock-in and imposed appropriate penalties for agreements requiring pre-installation of its privacy-invading and data-mining apps on Android devices.

  • "...And?"

  • by Required Snark ( 1702878 ) on Tuesday January 28, 2025 @11:48PM (#65126913)
    It the ultimate goal of capitalism: own a market segment and squeeze buyers until they have nothing. Literal starvation is not unusual. Just look at medical bankruptcy in the US, or the addiction for profit scheme that the Sackler family used to make billions.

    Nothing to see here. Move along.

  • by Qbertino ( 265505 ) <moiraNO@SPAMmodparlor.com> on Wednesday January 29, 2025 @01:27AM (#65127025)

    ... can fine mega corporations so hard that they actually can feel it!?

    That's also ohne if those details I really like about the GDPR.

  • ... what a BS. Judge shouldn't buy this.

  • by TractorBarry ( 788340 ) on Wednesday January 29, 2025 @03:44AM (#65127125) Homepage

    A court has fined you for your shitty behaviour. You should shut up, pay up, amend your ways or go to jail.

    What next ? a murderer appealing against their conviction because it interferes with their vacation plans ?

    • by MrNaz ( 730548 )

      You know, I bet if Luigi Mangione stood up in court and announced that he wanted to go to the Bahamas this summer, the jury would find him innocent on that grounds alone.

  • You have innovated all right in the last 10-15 years - it is, for the most part, obnoxious innovations. Innovation is not the same as good.
  • Record $4.5 Billion EU Fine Punished Its Illegal Innovation, Google Tells EU Court. There, they don't even need to do any more courtin' now.

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