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A Russian court has slapped a $20 decillion fine on Google for blocking 17 YouTube channels belonging to local TV networks, RBC reports.
The imposed fine is more than Google’s $2 trillion market value and the World Bank’s estimated global GDP of just over $100 trillion. The fine will continue to compound until YouTube unblocks the channels suing it, the report adds.
The issue dates back to 2020 when YouTube blocked Tsargrad TV after the US imposed sanctions against its owner. At the time, the court had ordered a daily fine of 100,000 rubles ($1,025) per day, with the total amount set to double every week the fine was unpaid.
Things escalated after YouTube blocked more channels following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. A total of 17 channels sued Google, and the court’s latest order was passed after calculating the fines for each.
“Google was called by a Russian court to administrative liability under Art. 13.41 of the Administrative Offenses Code for removing channels on the YouTube platform. The court ordered the company to restore these channels,” lawyer Ivan Morozov told the state-owned TASS news agency.
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If Google fails to pay the $20 decillion fine within the next nine months, the amount will double every day after that, TASS adds. Google shut down its Russian unit in 2022 and declared bankruptcy after local authorities seized over $100 million in assets.
“We have ongoing legal matters relating to Russia. For example, civil judgments that include compounding penalties have been imposed upon us in connection with disputes regarding the termination of accounts, including those of sanctioned parties,” Google said in its latest earnings call. “We do not believe these ongoing legal matters will have a material adverse effect.”
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