EU antitrust regulators handed down a 1.49 billion euro ($A2.38 billion) fine to Alphabet unit Google on Wednesday for blocking rival online search advertisers, marking the company's third penalty in two years.
EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Google had imposed anti-competitive contractual restrictions on third-party websites.
"Google has cemented its dominance in online search adverts and shielded itself from competitive pressure," she said.
"This is illegal under EU antitrust rules," Vestager said in a statement, adding that the misconduct lasted more than a decade, denying other companies the chance to compete on their own merits.
The decision relates to search functions embedded on websites such as newspaper platforms, blogs or online travel aggregators. When users search the website, they deliver search results as well as adverts appearing alongside.
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