EU General Court Confirms Landmark Google Android Decision with Strong Signal for Tougher Antitrust Enforcement in Digital Ecosystems

Abstract

On 14 September 2022, the General Court of the European Union largely upheld the landmark Google Android decision of the European Commission of 18 July 2018. The article provides a first assessment of the judgment and its impact on Google and other dominant firms. We explain the contractual background, the Court's key findings, the relevance for pending investigations and similar cases in the digital sphere as well as Google's current compliance with the decision.

Keywords: Google Android, antitrust, competition law, digital ecosystems, status quo bias, tying, abuse of dominance, unilateral conduct, iOS, Apple, multi-sided markets

JEL Classification: K21, L12, L41, L86, M37, O31