Google has appealed against a record 2.4bn Euro (£2.18 billion) antitrust fine, its chances of success boosted by Intel’s partial victory last week against an European sanction.
The move by comes two months after a court ruled that Google had abused its dominance in Europe by giving prominent placement in searches to its own comparison shopping service, while demoting those of rivals.
The Luxembourg-based General Court, Europe’s second-highest, is expected to take years before ruling on the case. A court spokeswoman said Google has not asked for an interim order to suspend the decision to levy an fine.
The EU Court of Justice (ECJ) told a lower tribunal last Wednesday to re-examine US chip-maker Intel’s appeal against a 1.06bn Euro fine, dealing a rare setback to the European Commission.
While the Google case is not the same as that of Intel, the judgment has been welcomed by companies under European regulatory scrutiny because it raises the bar for the regulator to prove wrongdoing.