In a significant legal victory, Google has successfully overturned a massive $1.7 billion fine imposed by the European Commission. The General Court of the European Union found errors in the Commission’s 2019 decision, which had accused Google of unfairly restricting how some websites displayed ads from its rivals. As reported by Reuters, the court upheld most of the Commission’s findings on Google’s practices but canceled the fine, criticizing the Commission’s assessment of certain contract clauses as flawed.
Google’s spokesperson expressed satisfaction with the ruling, stating, “We are pleased that the court has recognized errors in the original decision and annulled the fine.” The spokesperson emphasized that the case involved a narrow subset of text-only search ads on limited websites and that Google had already revised its contractual terms to address concerns.
Ongoing Antitrust Scrutiny
This court victory comes on the heels of a recent setback for Google, where the European Court of Justice upheld a separate €2.42 billion fine related to its comparison-shopping service. As Bloomberg notes, Google’s advertising practices are under intense scrutiny, with the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority and the U.S. Justice Department also investigating alleged monopolistic behaviors.
The European Commission has indicated it will carefully review the court’s decision and consider further actions, though the ruling can be appealed to the European Court of Justice. This adds to a series of challenges faced by the Commission, which recently received criticism for its handling of another antitrust case, as reported by The Financial Times.
With the fine overturned, Google can focus on its ongoing efforts to address regulatory concerns and maintain its position in the highly competitive digital advertising market.
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Analysts remain bullish about GOOGL stock, with a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 27 Buys and nine Holds. Over the past year, GOOGL has surged by more than 15%, and the average GOOGL price target of $202.94 implies an upside potential of 27.4% from current levels.
