Google loses long-running appeal of record EU fine, will have to cough up $4.7 billion

谷歌针对欧盟创纪录罚款的上诉以失败告终，将不得不支付 47 亿美元

Back in 2018, Google was handed a record-setting 4.34 billion-euro ($4.9 billion) fine in Europe for abusing its monopoly on Android. The company has spent the intervening years challenging that decision, but the continent’s highest court has put a stop to that. The Court of Justice of the European Union has affirmed the penalty, meaning Google is out of options.

早在 2018 年，谷歌因滥用其在 Android 系统上的垄断地位，在欧洲被处以 43.4 亿欧元（约合 49 亿美元）的创纪录罚款。此后多年，谷歌一直试图挑战这一裁决，但欧洲最高法院已叫停了这一行为。欧盟法院维持了原判，这意味着谷歌已别无选择。

Google’s fight may not have turned out the way the company wanted, but it wasn’t for nothing. The initial amount was trimmed slightly by a lower court in 2022, bringing the total to a still record-setting 4.1 billion euros ($4.7 billion). And that looks like the amount Google will have to pay since there are no further avenues for appeal.

谷歌的抗争虽然没有达到预期的结果，但也并非毫无意义。2022 年，下级法院将罚款金额略微下调，最终总额定格在 41 亿欧元（约合 47 亿美元），但这依然是一笔创纪录的罚款。由于已无上诉途径，这似乎就是谷歌最终必须支付的金额。

The fine stems from the way Google bundles apps and services with Android phones. The EU took issue with Google search and Chrome being the default options on Android. Even devices made by other companies, such as Samsung and Xiaomi, include Google apps as the default per the Android licensing agreement, giving Google an unfair advantage, according to European antitrust regulators. This is not to be confused with a 2.95 billion euro ($3.45 billion) fine against Google’s advertising monopoly issued by the European Union last year.

此次罚款源于谷歌在 Android 手机中捆绑应用和服务的方式。欧盟对谷歌搜索和 Chrome 浏览器成为 Android 系统默认选项的做法表示不满。欧洲反垄断监管机构认为，根据 Android 许可协议，即使是三星和小米等其他公司生产的设备，也将谷歌应用设为默认，这赋予了谷歌不公平的竞争优势。这与欧盟去年针对谷歌广告垄断处以的 29.5 亿欧元（约合 34.5 亿美元）罚款并非同一案件。

“The appeal brought by Google and its parent company Alphabet against the judgment of the General Court is dismissed, thereby confirming the penalty imposed for Google Search’s abuse of a dominant position in the context of the Android operating system,” the judge’s ruling (PDF) said.

法官裁决书（PDF）指出：“谷歌及其母公司 Alphabet 针对欧盟普通法院判决提出的上诉被驳回，从而确认了因谷歌搜索在 Android 操作系统中滥用市场支配地位而受到的处罚。”

The case mirrored Europe’s actions against Windows years earlier when Microsoft was forced to add browser ballot screens to crack Internet Explorer’s dominance. Of course, Microsoft’s browser dominance was crumbling by the time the EU managed to get that implemented. Google’s market position, however, remains firmly in place despite creating similar ballot screens on Android when the ruling was first handed down.

此案与多年前欧洲针对 Windows 的行动如出一辙，当时微软被迫添加浏览器选择界面，以打破 Internet Explorer 的垄断地位。当然，当欧盟最终落实该措施时，微软的浏览器垄断地位已经开始瓦解。然而，尽管谷歌在裁决下达之初也在 Android 上创建了类似的浏览器选择界面，但其市场地位依然稳固。

Throughout the case, Google has taken the same position as Microsoft did in its day. There is plenty of competition on Android, Google said, pointing to all the alternative search services and apps users can freely access. CEO Sundar Pichai said in 2018 that Android has created “more choice, not less.” However, as Google well knows, people rarely change the default settings on their phones.

在整个案件审理过程中，谷歌采取了与当年微软相同的立场。谷歌表示，Android 系统上存在充分的竞争，并指出用户可以自由访问各种替代性的搜索服务和应用程序。首席执行官桑达尔·皮查伊（Sundar Pichai）在 2018 年曾表示，Android 创造了“更多的选择，而非更少”。然而，谷歌心知肚明，用户很少会去更改手机的默认设置。

Europe isn’t done. Google still disagrees with the ruling, but it’s moving forward. “In any event, we adapted our agreements to comply with the initial decision back in 2018 and we remain focused on continued innovation and openness for our users, partners and developers,” the company said in a statement.

欧洲的监管行动并未结束。谷歌虽然仍不同意该裁决，但表示将继续前行。公司在一份声明中表示：“无论如何，我们早在 2018 年就调整了协议以遵守最初的决定，我们将继续专注于为用户、合作伙伴和开发者提供持续的创新和开放。”

However, much of Android’s continued focus on openness is a function of legal wrangling. For example, Google is increasing support for third-party app stores and alternative payment methods in the Play Store. That’s great, but it’s only doing so as a result of Epic’s antitrust lawsuit. And at the same time, Google is planning to lock down app distribution on Android with developer verification, which advocates for open source projects characterize as a serious threat.

然而，Android 对开放性的持续关注很大程度上是法律博弈的结果。例如，谷歌正在增加对第三方应用商店和 Play Store 中替代支付方式的支持。这固然是好事，但这是 Epic 反垄断诉讼带来的结果。与此同时，谷歌正计划通过开发者验证来锁定 Android 上的应用分发，开源项目倡导者认为这对开源生态构成了严重威胁。

This case may have reached its conclusion, but the EU isn’t done going after Big Tech. Regulators now have a more powerful tool at their disposal with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which designates Google and other tech behemoths as “gatekeepers” that warrant additional oversight. The European Commission is currently deciding how it may use the DMA to force Google to open up Android to more AI services and share search data with competitors.

此案或许已尘埃落定，但欧盟针对大型科技公司的监管并未停止。监管机构现在拥有了更强大的工具——《数字市场法案》（DMA），该法案将谷歌和其他科技巨头指定为需要额外监管的“看门人”。欧盟委员会目前正在研究如何利用 DMA 强制谷歌向更多人工智能服务开放 Android 系统，并与竞争对手共享搜索数据。