Google better buckle-up for the long antirust road that likely lies ahead following its $ 2.72 billion fine by the European Union this summer. To understand why, one can point to the current antitrust case involving the EU and Intel.
Today, an EU court ruled in favor of Intel’s appeal of its $ 1.27 billion antitrust fine, according to Reuters. The EU originally said Intel was guilty of antitrust violations in 2007, and handed down what was then a record fine in 2009. Intel was accused of using rebates to PC manufacturers to dissuade them from working with other chip makers.
A decade later, the case will now go back to a lower court for further examination. And there’s no firm timeline for when it might be resolved.
That’s an indication of just what Google may be facing in the years ahead, not to mention the additional investigations it is facing by the EU.
Of course, it also means that alleged victims of the abusive market power could be waiting a long time for any relief, to the point where it may be useless, no matter how the matters are ultimately settled.
There is a saying about justice delayed, In these cases, it’s hard to know for sure for whom it might be denied.
