A Russian court has slapped Google with an unprecedented fine of approximately $20.6 decillion for failing to restore YouTube accounts linked to Russian television channels.
This staggering amount is many times greater than the world’s total GDP, which is around $105 trillion.The legal dispute arose after Google suspended several Russian media accounts on YouTube to comply with U.S. sanctions.
According to Ivan Morozov, a Moscow-based lawyer, the fine has been doubling regularly over the years and currently stands at 2 undecillion rubles, an almost unimaginable figure.
With Google’s Russian entity having filed for bankruptcy in 2022, the chances of collecting such a massive fine appear slim.
Morozov noted that there is no cap on the total amount of the fine, which relates to claims from more than a dozen Russian TV channels.
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Experts have criticized the enormity of the penalty. Nigel Gould-Davies, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, described the fine as “clearly insane” and likened the situation to “putting a dead person on trial,” given Google’s minimal presence and assets in Russia.
Despite this legal turmoil, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has downplayed the potential impact of the fine on its operations, stating in recent earnings reports that these ongoing legal matters are not expected to have a material adverse effect on the company.
