With this decision finding Google wrong despite the means deployed by the latter, the Court confirms that the European Commission was right to condemn Google in 2017 to a fine of 2.4 billion euros for preferential treatment of its own price comparator Google Shopping, to the detriment of its competitors.
This is a historic decision which confirms for the first time the principle that a digital player in a dominant position cannot promote its own services in a privileged way: preferential treatment is considered to be discriminatory and therefore prohibited and sentenced.
The OIP was a party to the case, which “officially” lasted more than 11 years!