BRUSSELS, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Alphabet's

Google on Tuesday lost its fight against a 2.42 billion euro

($2.7 billion) fine levied by EU antitrust regulators seven

years ago, one of a trio of hefty fines meted out to the company

for various anti-competitive practices.

The European Commission fined the world's most popular

internet search engine in 2017 for using its own price

comparison shopping service to gain an unfair advantage over

smaller European rivals.

A lower tribunal had endorsed the EU competition enforcer's

decision in 2021, prompting Google to appeal to the

Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union.

CJEU judges noted that EU law does not sanction the

existence of a dominant position, but its abusive exploitation.

"In particular, the conduct of undertakings in a dominant

position that has the effect of hindering competition on the

merits and is thus likely to cause harm to individual

undertakings and consumers is prohibited," they said.

Google has racked up 8.25 billion euros in EU antitrust

fines in the last decade. It has challenged two rulings

involving its Android mobile operating system and AdSense

advertising service, and is now waiting for the judgments.

It is also fighting EU antitrust charges issued last year

that could force it to sell part of its lucrative adtech

business after regulators accused it of favouring its own

advertising services.

The case is C-48/22 P Google and Alphabet v Commission

(Google Shopping).

($1 = 0.9060 euros)