AFP, Brussels

Google yesterday lost an appeal against a 2.4-billion-euro ($2.8-billion) fine imposed by the European Union for abusing its search engine dominance -- a big win for the bloc’s anti-trust tussle with the tech titan.

The ruling by the Luxembourg-based General Court confirmed the landmark decision taken by the European Commission in 2017.

The matter could be challenged again, however, if Google decides to turn to the EU’s highest court, the European Court of Justice, for a final say.

“Today’s judgment delivers the clear message that Google’s conduct was unlawful and it provides the necessary legal clarity for the market,” the European Commission said in a statement.

The case centres on Google’s shopping service and is one of three against the search engine giant currently moving through the EU’s drawn-out appeals system.

At the time, the fine was the EU’s biggest ever. But it was later exceeded by a 4.3-billion-euro fine against Google over its Android smartphone operating system.

In its appeal, Google and its parent company Alphabet had argued the EU was “wrong on the law, the facts, and the economics” in the search engine case.

But the court said it dismissed “for the most part the action brought by the two companies, and upholds the fine imposed by the Commission”.

It said that, by favouring its own Google Shopping service over rivals in its search result rankings and positioning, “Google departed from competition on the merits”.

A Google spokesperson said the company will examine the ruling.

While Google was dealt a setback in the EU, the company fended off a separate legal case in Britain yesterday as the Supreme Court blocked a $4 billion class-action lawsuit accusing it of illegally tracking millions of iPhone users.