Case C-48/22 P: Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 10 September 2024 – Google LLC, Alphabet Inc. v European Commission (Appeal – Competition – Abuse of dominant position – Markets for online general search services and specialised product search services – Decision finding an infringement of Article 102 TFEU and Article 54 of the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA) – Leveraging abuse – Competition on the merits or anticompetitive practice – Dominant undertaking favouring the display of results from its own specialised search service – Potential anticompetitive effects – Causal link between abuse and effects – Burden of proof – Counterfactual scenario – Capability of foreclosing – As-efficient competitor test)
Date: 2024-09-10
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: EU competition policy, control of restrictive practices, dominant position, provision of services, search engine








C_202406220EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2024/6220


28.10.2024






Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 10 September 2024 – Google LLC, Alphabet Inc. v European Commission


(Case C-48/22 P)
                (1)

(Appeal - Competition - Abuse of dominant position - Markets for online general search services and specialised product search services - Decision finding an infringement of Article 102 TFEU and Article 54 of the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA) - Leveraging abuse - Competition on the merits or anticompetitive practice - Dominant undertaking favouring the display of results from its own specialised search service - Potential anticompetitive effects - Causal link between abuse and effects - Burden of proof - Counterfactual scenario - Capability of foreclosing - ‘As-efficient competitor’ test)
(C/2024/6220)
Language of the case: English

Parties


Appellants: Google LLC, Alphabet Inc. (represented by: T. Graf, Rechtsanwalt, R. Snelders, advocaat, M. Pickford KC, D. Gregory, H. Mostyn, Barristers, C. Thomas, avocat, and A. Bray, avocate)

Intervener at first instance in support of the applicant: Computer & Communications Industry Association (represented by: J. Killick, advocaat, A. Komninos, dikigoros, and A. Lamadrid de Pablo, abogado)

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

Intervener in the appeal in support of the defendant at first instance: PriceRunner International AB (represented initially by M. Jonson, K. Ljungström, F. Norburg, P. Scherp and H. Selander, advokater, and subsequently by K. Ljungström, F. Norburg, P. Scherp and H. Selander, advokater)

Interveners at first instance in support of the defendant at first instance: Federal Republic of Germany, EFTA Surveillance Authority (represented initially by C. Simpson, M. Sánchez Rydelski and M.-M. Joséphidès, and subsequently by C. Simpson, M. Sánchez Rydelski, I.O. Vilhjálmsdóttir and M.-M. Joséphidès, acting as Agents), Bureau européen des unions de consommateurs (BEUC), (represented by: A. Fratini, avvocata), Infederation Ltd (represented initially by S. Gartagani, K. Gwilliam, L. Hannah, Solicitors, and A. Howard KC, and subsequently by S. Gartagani, K. Gwilliam, L. Hannah, Solicitors, A. Howard KC and T. Vinje, advocaat), Kelkoo SAS (represented by: W. Leslie, Solicitor, and B. Meyring, Rechtsanwalt), Verband Deutscher Zeitschriftenverleger eV, Ladenzeile GmbH, formerly Visual Meta GmbH, BDZV – Bundesverband Digitalpublisher und Zeitungsverleger eV, formerly Bundesverband Deutscher Zeitungsverleger eV (represented by: T. Höppner and P. Westerhoff, Rechtsanwälte), Twenga SA, (represented by: L. Godfroid, M. Gouraud and S. Hautbourg, avocats,)

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Dismisses the appeal;










2.


Orders Google LLC and Alphabet Inc. to bear their own costs and to pay the costs incurred by the European Commission, with the exception of those incurred by the Commission as a result of the intervention of Computer & Communications Industry Association;










3.


Orders Computer & Communications Industry Association to bear its own costs and to pay the costs incurred by the Commission as a result of the intervention of Computer & Communications Industry Association;










4.


Orders PriceRunner International AB, the EFTA Surveillance Authority, the Bureau européen des unions de consommateurs (BEUC), Infederation Ltd, Kelkoo SAS, Verband Deutscher Zeitschriftenverleger eV, Ladenzeile GmbH, BDZV – Bundesverband Digitalpublisher und Zeitungsverleger eV and Twenga SA to bear their own costs.






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            OJ C 191, 10.5.2022.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/6220/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)