EU Court Advisor Says Judges Should Reassess Canceled $1.65 Billion Google AdSense Fine
By Edith Hancock
Google faces a potential setback in the European Union after a legal advisor said judges should revisit a decision by the bloc's second-highest court to scrap a roughly $1.65 billion antitrust fine handed to the company on the grounds that it restricted how some websites could display ads sold by rivals.
The European Commission fined Google 1.49 billion euros in 2019, saying it had abused its dominance as a search engine and an advertising broker by imposing restrictive terms in contracts with third-party websites. Google later appealed the penalty to the general court--the EU's second-highest court. Judges largely sided with the commission but canceled the fine. That decision was then appealed at the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Advocate General Juliane Kokott said that judges were wrong to assess that officials failed to demonstrate any exclusionary effects of Google's contractual terms linked to its AdSense platform.
Write to Edith Hancock at edith.hancock@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 12, 2026 05:24 ET (10:24 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.The articles, information, and content displayed on this webpage may include materials prepared and provided by third parties. Such third-party content is offered for informational purposes only and is not endorsed, reviewed, or verified by Morningstar.
Morningstar makes no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or reliability of any third-party content displayed on this site. The views and opinions expressed in third-party content are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Morningstar, its affiliates, or employees.
Morningstar is not responsible for any errors, omissions, or delays in this content, nor for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Users are advised to exercise their own judgment and seek independent financial advice before making any decisions based on such content. The third-party providers of this content are not affiliated with Morningstar, and their inclusion on this site does not imply any form of partnership, agency, or endorsement.
Popular
4 Growth Stocks to Buy While They’re Still Undervalued
3 of the Best Core Stocks to Own
The 10 Best Companies to Invest in Now
3 Great New ETFs From 2026
United States