Google Fined Record $2.7 Billion in E.U. Antitrust Ruling<br />By levying the fine against Google — more than double the previous largest penalty in this type of antitrust case — Margrethe Vestager, the European Union’s<br />antitrust chief, also laid claim to being the Western world’s most active regulator of digital services, an industry still dominated by Silicon Valley.<br />“We will review the commission’s decision in detail as we consider an appeal, and we look forward to continuing to make our case.”<br />Despite Google’s denials, the record fine — the previous high, against Intel in 2009, was €1.06 billion — represents a bloody nose for a company<br />that holds a market share of more than 90 percent in online search in Europe.<br />“It’s always been like that.”<br />In her statement on Tuesday, Ms. Vestager said that Google held a dominant position in online search, requiring the company to take extra measures to ensure<br />that its digital services did not crowd out those of rivals.<br />By MARK SCOTTJUNE 27, 2017<br />Google suffered a major blow on Tuesday after European antitrust officials fined the search giant<br />a record $2.7 billion for unfairly favoring some of its own services over those of rivals.<br />Several other antitrust complaints related to other specialized search results have been filed in Europe against Google,<br />and Ms. Vestager said Tuesday’s announcement could “be used as a framework” in those investigations.
