Google: Russian court issues Google with comically large fine- what does it mean?

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It is an unfathomable amount of money 😨
  • Russian courts have fined Google an unfathomable amount of money. 
  • It comes after media outlets from Russia were banned from YouTube. 
  • A court-case has been on-going in Russia and the fine handed down can grow exponentially. 

What is the largest amount of money you can imagine? If you shut your eyes right now and try to visualise a number, what starts to form in the inky darkness of your subconscious?

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No matter the answer, I am going to guarantee it will not have been as big as the fine handed down to Google by a Russian court. It has been ordered to pay $2 undecillion, a number so hilariously large it has 36 zeros in it (a million has six for reference). 

Despite making for incredible headlines, I wouldn’t hold your breath for Google to actually pay it out. Mostly because it is significantly more money than there currently is in the world, at least according to the World Bank’s estimate for the global GDP - around $105 trillion in 2023. 

Why has Google been fined by a Russian court? 

A Google logo is seen during the "Made by Google" event. Photo: Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty ImagesA Google logo is seen during the "Made by Google" event. Photo: Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images
A Google logo is seen during the "Made by Google" event. Photo: Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images | Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images

The Register reports that the fine is due to Google blocking content from Russian media stations. It comes after a four-year court case that was sparked after YouTube - which is owned by Google - banned the ultra-nationalist Russian channel Tsargrad in 2020. 

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The move came after US sanctions were placed on Tsargrad’s owner, the oligarch Konstantin Malofeev. Then in 2022, following the invasion of Ukraine, even more channels were blocked. 

A consortium of Russian media outlets have brought against a series of legal challenges against Google, Novaya Gazeta Europe reports. It has led to a massive fine being levelled. 

Lawyer Ivan Morozov told state media outlet TASS: “Google was called by a Russian court to administrative liability under Art. 13.41 of the Administrative Offences Code for removing channels on the YouTube platform. The court ordered the company to restore these channels.” 

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How has the fine been worked out? 

You are probably wondering how on earth the court came up with the ludicrously large number (36 zeros, 36.) According to Novaya Gazeta the court ruled in September that Google would be charged a penalty of 100,000 rubles (approximately £795) for every day it continues to block the outlets. 

However it also added the stipulation that the fine would double every week, thus meaning it could grow exponentially. Novaya Gazeta reported that a plaintiff in the case said the fine was in the decillions in September (33 zeros) but it has continued to grow. 

Could Google pay the fine? 

Look, there is literally not enough money in the world to pay the fine. So, no Google could not pay the fine - its latest quarterly earnings call showed revenue of $76.5 billion which is a lot of money but not undecillion amounts. 

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Alphabet, the parent company of Google, actually addressed the Russian fines in the statement. It said: “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. We do not believe these ongoing legal matters will have a material adverse effect."

It is not just Google and YouTube that have banned Russian media outlets DW News has a video report on Meta imposing sanctions on Russia’s state media. You can watch the 6 minute video here

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