Europe’s highest court delivered a final, legally binding blow to Google, dismissing the company’s ultimate appeal and upholding a record €4.125 billion ($4.67 billion) antitrust fine for exploiting its Android mobile platform to stifle competition.

The definitive ruling by the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice (ECJ) brings an end to an eight-year legal battle. The court confirmed that Google used its market dominance to lock in its search engine monopoly, validating a 2022 lower-court decision and leaving the Silicon Valley giant with no further legal recourse.

The landmark ruling arrives amid tightening pressure across the continent. Last month, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority introduced strict transparency requirements for Google’s search rankings. With the ECJ cementing this historic victory, industry analysts predict a fresh wave of civil lawsuits and emboldened regulatory crackdowns against tech giants across Europe.

The dispute dates to 2018 when the European Commission originally hit Google with a €4.34 billion penalty. Regulators accused the company of forcing smartphone manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and the Chrome browser as a condition for licensing its crucial Google Play app store.

Google was also found to have paid major manufacturers for exclusivity and blocked them from selling devices running unapproved, alternative versions of the Android operating system.

While the EU’s General Court slightly reduced the penalty to €4.125 billion in 2022 after finding insufficient evidence on minor points, it upheld the core finding of a “single and continuous infringement.”

On Thursday, the ECJ agreed, saying the lower court was correct to recognize a “status quo bias” created by pre-installed apps, and that Google’s procedural rights had been fully respected.

Google strongly criticized the ruling. It argued its business practices supported the mobile ecosystem rather than harmed it.

“Android provides more choice for everyone and supports thousands of businesses,” a Google spokesperson said. “This judgment fails to recognize our significant investment to ensure Android remains open, interoperable and free.”

The company added that it had already updated its agreements in 2018 to comply with the EU’s initial mandate.

While the multibillion-dollar penalty represents less than 3% of Alphabet Inc.’s annual profit, the loss carries severe strategic consequences. Over the past 15 years, Google has amassed nearly €11 billion in EU antitrust fines, including a €2.4 billion penalty for favoring its shopping services and a €2.95 billion fine levied in September 2025 over its advertising technology business.

Legal experts noted this week’s decision marks a structural shift in how Europe handles tech monopolies. Alex Haffner, a partner at law firm Fladgate, noted that the ruling represents the conclusion of the European Commission’s “first stage” battle with Big Tech using traditional competition laws.

“More recently, the Commission’s focus has switched to legislative tools at its disposal, particularly the Digital Services Act (and Digital Markets Act), to regulate Big Tech,” Haffner said.