Tech giants Google and Apple hit with huge fines by EU’s Court of Justice
Apple and Google have been held accountable as the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) imposed significant penalties on tech giants. The two companies are now required to pay a combined total of over €15 billion.
The activities of American, African, Hispanic, Asian, and Australian companies within the European Union are not always subject to thorough scrutiny, mainly due to variations in legal frameworks based on the company's country of origin. Frequently, customers and employees seek justice through the highest authority, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The court examines all inconsistencies, regardless of their scale. The CJEU has previously ruled on cases such as vegan meat substitutes, but the current matter is of greater significance.
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CJEU rules against Google and Apple
On 10 September 2024, rulings were delivered in Luxembourg against major US tech companies, including a lawsuit against Alphabet, the parent company of Google, and another against Apple.
Alphabet faced accusations of prioritising its products in search results over rival companies. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that Google had breached EU law, specifically in promoting services such as hotels, airline tickets, and consumer goods in online stores and favouring its own product comparison services. As a result, Alphabet has been fined €2.4. This case has been ongoing since 2017.
The same day also brought bad news for Apple Inc. The CJEU ordered the company to pay €13 billion in back taxes to Ireland. The tax issue dates back to 2016, when legal experts highlighted that Apple had secured a highly favourable tax agreement with Ireland in violation of EU regulations, allowing it to avoid paying billions in taxes.
Source: Rzeczpospolita
