Google’s 2.4 billion euro fine upheld by Europe’s top court in EU antitrust probe

Europe’s top court on Tuesday upheld a 2.4 billion euro ($2.65 billion) fine imposed on Google for abusing its dominant position by favoring its own shopping comparison service.

CNBC has reached out to Google for comment.

The fine stems from an antitrust investigation by the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, which concluded in 2017.

The Commission said at the time that Google had favored its own shopping comparison service over those of its rivals.

Google appealed the decision with the General Court, the EU’s second-highest court, which also upheld the fine. Google then brought the case before the European Court of Justice (ECJ), the EU’s top court.

The ECJ on Tuesday dismissed the appeal and upheld the Commission’s fine.

“We are disappointed with the decision of the Court,” a Google spokesperson told CNBC on Tuesday.

“This judgment relates to a very specific set of facts. We made changes back in 2017 to comply with the European Commission’s decision. Our approach has worked successfully for more than seven years, generating billions of clicks for more than 800 comparison shopping services.”

To address European concerns, Google in 2017 made changes that meant it will have to bid in the same way as competitors for advertising slots within shopping search results.

The Google decision caps off another major case for the EU after the ECJ on Tuesday also confirmed a European Commission decision from 2016 that Apple should pay 13 billion euros in back taxes in Ireland.

Regulators are mounting pressure on Alphabet-owned Google globally. In March, the EU launched an investigation into Alphabet under its sweeping Digital Markets Act, which scrutinizes the practices of tech companies in Europe.

In the U.S. Google is in the midst of an antitrust case against the Department of Justice with regard to its advertising business after losing another antitrust case earlier this year.