Meanwhile, back in the EU...
While Google has been facing multiple antitrust suits brought in the US by the DOJ and various state Attorneys General, things are no quieter in the European Union.
The European Court of Justice - the EU's highest court - earlier this month denied Google's appeal of a 2.4 billion euro fine originally levied by the European Commission in 2017 in a suit first brought by UK-based Foundem in 2009, when the UK was still part of the EU. This suit accused Google of abusing the market dominance of its shopping comparison service. Google expressed "disappointment" with the ruling. Score one for the EU.
But then last week, the European General Court overturned a 1.5 billion euro antitrust fine assessed to Google, saying that the European Commission had made "errors in its assessment" of the scope and duration of Google's advertising contracts with publisher, that the EU Competition Authority had not succeeded in establishing that Google was abusing its dominant position, and that the ruling against Google might have harmed consumers.
And, in a probably not unrelated happening, the Danish government announced that it will not be nominating Google's arch-nemesis - responsible for 3 antitrust suits and 8.25 billion euros in fines against the company since 2017 - Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager for a third term. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen instead has announced that Spanish Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge Minister Teresa Ribera Rodriguez will replace Ms. Vestager as competition honcho. Earlier this year, following a dispute with French President Emmanuel Macron over her choice of a chief economist, Ms. Vestager failed in a bid to head the European Investment Bank after France did not support her candidacy.
Score two for Google.
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