Judgment of the General Court of 14 September 2022 — Google and Alphabet v Commission (Google Android)

(Case T-604/18) (1)

(Competition - Abuse of dominant position - Smart mobile devices - Decision finding an infringement of Article 102 TFEU and Article 54 of the EEA Agreement - Concepts of multi-sided platform and market (‘ecosystem’) - Operating system (Google Android) - App store (Play Store) - Search and browser applications (Google Search and Chrome) - Agreements with device manufacturers and mobile network operators - Single and continuous infringement - Concepts of overall plan and conduct implemented in the context of the same infringement (product bundles, exclusivity payments and anti-fragmentation obligations) - Exclusionary effects - Rights of the defence - Unlimited jurisdiction)

(2022/C 432/17)

Language of the case: English

Parties

Applicants: Google LLC (Mountain View, California, United States) and Alphabet, Inc. (Mountain View) (represented by: N. Levy, J. Schindler, A. Lamadrid de Pablo, J. Killick, A. Komninos, G. Forwood, lawyers, P. Stuart, D. Gregory, H. Mostyn, Barristers, and M. Pickford QC)

Defendant: European Commission (represented by: N. Khan, A. Dawes, C. Urraca Caviedes and F. Castillo de la Torre, acting as Agents)

Interveners in support of the applicants: Application Developers Alliance (Washington, D.C.,United States) (represented by: A. Parr, S. Vaz, Solicitors, and R. Baena Zapatero, lawyer), Computer & Communications Industry Association (Washington, D.C.) (represented by: E. Batchelor, T. Selwyn Sharpe, Solicitors, and G. de Vasconcelos Lopes, lawyer), Gigaset Communications GmbH (Bocholt, Germany) (represented by: J.F. Bellis, lawyer), HMD global Oy (Helsinki, Finland) (represented by: M. Glader and M. Johansson, lawyers), Opera Norway AS, formerly Opera Software AS (Oslo, Norway) (represented by: M. Glader and M. Johansson, lawyers)

Interveners in support of the defendant: BDZV — Bundesverband Digitalpublisher und Zeitungsverleger eV, formerly Bundesverband Deutscher Zeitungsverleger eV (Berlin, Germany) (represented by: T. Höppner, professor, and P. Westerhoff, lawyer), Bureau européen des unions de consommateurs (BEUC) (Brussels, Belgium) (represented by: A. Fratini, lawyer), FairSearch AISBL (Brussels) (represented by: T. Vinje, D. Paemen and K. Missenden, lawyers), Qwant (Paris, France) (represented by: T. Höppner, professor, and P. Westerhoff, lawyer), Seznam.cz, a.s. (Prague, Czech Republic) (represented by: M. Felgr, T. Vinje, D. Paemen, J. Dobrý and P. Chytil, lawyers), Verband Deutscher Zeitschriftenverleger eV (Berlin) (represented by: T. Höppner, professor, and P. Westerhoff, lawyer)

Re:

By their action under Article 263 TFEU, the applicants seek, principally, annulment of Commission Decision C(2018) 4761 final of 18 July 2018 relating to a proceeding under Article 102 TFEU and Article 54 of the EEA Agreement (Case AT.40099 — Google Android) or, failing that, cancellation or reduction of the fine that was imposed on them in that decision.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

1. Annuls Articles 1, 3 and 4 of Decision C(2018) 4761 final of the European Commission of 18 July 2018 relating to a proceeding under Article 102 TFEU and Article 54 of the EEA Agreement (Case AT.40099 — Google Android) in so far as they concern the fourth element of the single and continuous infringement, consisting in having made the conclusion of revenue share agreements with certain original equipment manufacturers and mobile network operators conditional on the exclusive pre-installation of Google Search on a predefined portfolio of devices;

2. Sets the amount of the fine imposed on Google LLC in Article 2 of Decision C(2018) 4761 final for the single infringement which it committed, as follows from point 1 above, at EUR 4 125 000 000, for which Alphabet, Inc. shall be jointly and severally liable in the amount of EUR 1 520 605 895;

3. Dismisses the action as to the remainder;

4. Orders Google and Alphabet to bear their own costs;

5. Orders the Commission to bear its own costs;

6. Orders Application Developers Alliance, BDZV — Bundesverband Digitalpublisher und Zeitungsverleger eV, Bureau européen des unions des consommateurs (BEUC), Computer & Communications Industry Association, FairSearch AISBL, Gigaset Communications GmbH, HMD global Oy, Opera Norway AS, Qwant, Seznam.cz, a.s. and Verband Deutscher Zeitschriftenverleger eV to bear their own costs.

(1) OJ C 445, 10.12.2018.