TLDR
- Google hit with €573M damages in German antitrust lawsuits.
- Idealo awarded €374M in damages for Google’s anti-competitive conduct.
- Google’s dominance leads to €573M payout in German price-comparison cases.
- Google faces mounting legal pressure with €573M damages ruling.
- Idealo and Producto win €573M in damages over Google’s search practices.
Google has been ordered to pay a total of €573 million in damages following two separate antitrust lawsuits filed by German price-comparison websites. The cases, stemming from a European Commission decision in 2017, accuse Google of abusing its market dominance. The Berlin Regional Court handed down the ruling, which includes damages for both Idealo and Producto GmbH, two major players in the German price-comparison industry.
Idealo Awarded €374 Million in Antitrust Damages
The first lawsuit was filed by Idealo, a price-comparison platform owned by Axel Springer SE. The company sought €3.3 billion in damages, claiming Google unfairly promoted its own shopping service. The Berlin court awarded Idealo €374 million, along with €91 million in interest, citing Google’s anti-competitive conduct.
Idealo’s lawsuit stemmed from a 2017 ruling by the European Commission, which fined Google €2.4 billion for leveraging its dominant search engine to promote its shopping service. Idealo claims that Google’s actions put competitors at a significant disadvantage, disrupting the market for price-comparison websites.
The court’s decision emphasizes the ongoing impact of Google’s dominance on the competitive landscape. Idealo’s legal victory could set a precedent for other companies facing similar issues. The company expressed satisfaction with the ruling, signaling that Google’s practices had harmed both consumers and businesses.
Producto GmbH Awarded €89.7 Million Over Antitrust Concerns
The second case involved Producto GmbH, another German price-comparison website, which sought €290 million in damages. Producto was awarded €89.7 million plus €17.7 million in interest. The company also claimed that Google’s dominance in search unfairly tilted the playing field in favor of its own price-comparison service.
Producto’s case mirrored the claims made by Idealo, asserting that Google used its search engine to prioritize its own offerings. Both cases are directly linked to the European Commission’s decision to impose a €2.4 billion fine on Google in 2017. This fine was a result of Google’s anti-competitive behavior, which the court found to be harmful to both consumers and competitors in the price-comparison sector.
Google has yet to respond to the court’s latest ruling. However, the search giant has previously defended its actions, claiming that it had made significant changes since the European Commission’s 2017 decision. The ongoing legal battles demonstrate the challenges Google faces in addressing antitrust concerns related to its market dominance.
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