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European Commission fines Google for 1.49 bln euros for violating EU antitrust rules

The antitrust investigation against Google covered the period from 2006 to 2016

© REUTERS/Hannah McKay

BRUSSELS, March 20. /TASS/. The European Commission has imposed a fine of 1.49 bln euros on Google for violating the EU antitrust rules in the market for the brokering of online search adverts, European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestagaer said at a briefing in Brussels on Wednesday.

"Today the Commission has fined Google 1.49 bln euros for illegal misuse of its dominant position in the market for the brokering of online search adverts," Vetsgaer said.

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European Commission fines Google record 2.4 bln euro for abusing dominance

According to her, "Google has cemented its dominance in online search adverts and shielded itself from competitive pressure by imposing anti-competitive contractual restrictions on third-party websites."

Vestager noted the antitrust investigation against Google covered the period from 2006 to 2016.

On Wednesday, the European Commission presented a whole list of Google’s violations in various marketing practices. In particular, Google imposed an exclusive supply obligation, which prevented competitors from placing any search adverts on the commercially most significant websites. Google also introduced a so-called "relaxed exclusivity strategy" aimed at reserving for its own search adverts the most valuable positions and at controlling competing adverts' performance.

The EC stressed that these practices were aimed at cementing Google’s dominant position in the European market and discouraging free competition in the search and placement of adverts on the Internet.

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