Firm steers Google away from billion-dollar EU fine

Google’s long-standing competition adviser Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has helped the search giant avoid a fine of up to £3bn from the EU’s Competition Commission according to The Lawyer.The European Commission announced last month an agreement with Google in order to close a three-year anti-trust probe into the business. The EU investigation was centred on whether Google had abused its position in the European search market. The settlement means the search giant has escaped a longer antitrust procedure which could have landed it with a fine of £3bn. Cleary’s London-based competition partner Maurits Dolmans, aided by Brussels-based Thomas Graf, advised longstanding client Google.