EU wins big in legal battle with Apple and Google

The ECJ has ordered Apple to repay 13 billion euros ($14.3 billion) in back taxes to the Irish government. The case against Apple dates back to 2016, when the EU said Ireland had allowed the iPhone maker to avoid billions of euros in taxes. It is one of the most bitter legal battles between the European Commission (EC) and the tech giants, and one of several investigations over the past decade into preferential tax arrangements between major companies and some EU countries.

On the same day, the ECJ also upheld a €2.4 billion fine against Google in a series of EU antitrust cases against the tech giant. The court rejected an appeal by Google and its parent company Alphabet over the fine imposed on the search engine in 2017.

The EU imposed the fine after finding that Google had abused its dominant position by prioritizing its Google Shopping service in its search engine results. This is not the only fine Google has been hit with. The company has been hit with a record fine of around €8 billion for breaching EU competition rules between 2017 and 2019.

Google will face another test next week when the EU's top court will decide on the smallest of the fines, worth around €1.49 billion.

The EU also accused Google last year of abusing its dominant position in the online advertising market, recommending that the company sell part of its advertising services to ensure fair competition. Google has the right to respond and the investigation into the matter is still open.

Apple and Google have expressed disappointment with the ECJ's latest decisions.