Alphabet’s Google is currently under threat of facing damage claims that could exceed EUR 12 billion (approximately Rs. 1,13,259 crore) from a number of price comparison websites across the European Union. These sites argue that the tech giant has unlawfully diverted their customers, as reported by Bloomberg News.
The ongoing civil suits stem from a decision made by the European Commission in 2017, which resulted in a EUR 2.4 billion (roughly Rs. 22,651 crore) fine imposed on Google for misusing its dominant position in the search engine market to favor its own shopping service. This ruling triggered a series of “follow-on” lawsuits, which had been stalled for several years due to Google’s appeals. In 2022, a tribunal affirmed the company’s violation of antitrust laws, clearing the way for EU-based plaintiffs to proceed without having to re-establish the violation.
Bloomberg News highlighted 12 active civil cases spread across seven European countries. Although not all parties involved have disclosed the stakes, the claims of nine cases reportedly surpass EUR 12 billion (about Rs. 1,13,270 crore).
These lawsuits represent a significant new phase in Google’s legal challenges within Europe. Should the plaintiffs succeed, it may pave the way for additional companies to take similar legal action against the firm, in addition to the already substantial fines levied by EU regulators.
Christian Kersting, a law professor at Düsseldorf University, noted that claims from follow-on lawsuits often exceed EU penalties for comparable behaviors by many times. These ongoing cases add to Google’s mounting legal troubles, coinciding with the U.S. Department of Justice’s initiatives to mandate Google to divest key segments of its advertising and search businesses following losses in two antitrust lawsuits.
Google has consistently maintained that the civil suits in Europe lack merit. Currently valued at just under $2 trillion (approximately Rs. 1,70,07,760 crore), the company has not disclosed the number of claims filed post-antitrust ruling or the financial implications thereof.
The courts are preparing to hear many of these cases shortly. A London judge is set to consider a GBP 1 billion ($1.6 billion or about Rs. 13,606 crore) claim from British website Kelkoo and the now-defunct Foundem by the end of June. In September, oral arguments will be heard in Amsterdam for a case initiated by the Dutch company Compare Group.
Furthermore, two hearings are slated for October in Hamburg, with additional hearings in Berlin planned for November, including a EUR 3.3 billion (circa Rs. 31,156 crore) case from Idealo, a subsidiary of Axel Springer. Google is also contending against a EUR 2.1 billion (around Rs. 19,826 crore) claim from Sweden’s Pricerunner, now under Klarna, and a EUR 500 million (roughly Rs. 4,719 crore) claim from Poland’s Ceneo.
New claims continue to emerge as well. Last month, a lawsuit worth EUR 900 million (approximately Rs. 8,499 crore) was filed in Amsterdam, representing several companies, including the now-defunct German website PreisRoboter and Portugal’s KuantoKusta. Recently, Italy’s Moltiply Group SA reported notifying Google of a EUR 2.97 billion (nearly Rs. 28,047 crore) claim for losses attributed to its price comparison site Trovaprezzi during the years 2010 to 2017.
Some plaintiffs have escalated their claims over time and engaged external litigation funders, alleging ongoing antitrust violations by Google—claiming that the company continues to manipulate search results while ignoring the EU’s 2017 ruling. They argue that this has enabled the company to maintain an unfair hold on web traffic and profits.
Albrecht von Sonntag, co-founder of Idealo, emphasized the importance of imposing effective consequences for abusive practices, stating that monopolies should not dominate the internet to the detriment of consumers, fair competition, and the wider European economy.
In a response, Google has defended its practices, asserting that an advertising feature introduced in 2017 for price comparison sites has proven beneficial. The company stated that it does not differentiate between its shopping platform and those of competitors, highlighting that over 1,550 comparison shopping sites in Europe currently utilize its services, compared to just seven in 2017.
“We strongly disagree with these lawsuits, which are brought by companies seeking payouts instead of investing in their own innovation,” a Google spokesperson remarked.
In addition to these civil cases, the EU has imposed approximately EUR 8 billion (roughly Rs. 75,522 crore) in fines against Google since 2017 for various antitrust violations, though some penalties have been contested. Apart from the EUR 2.4 billion fine tied to the price comparison ruling, Google faced fines of EUR 4.34 billion (about Rs. 40,970 crore) and EUR 1.49 billion (around Rs. 14,064 crore) due to practices concerning its Android system and advertising contracts. Currently, Google is appealing the reduced fine related to Android practices, while the advertising penalty was annulled, albeit with the potential for further appeal by the European Commission.
Even with the backing of the European Commission’s ruling, the plaintiffs in the ongoing civil lawsuits will still need to demonstrate that Google’s actions directly contributed to their profit declines—a task that could be challenging according to Professor Kersting. He noted that companies must isolate other variables, such as market fluctuations or business strategy failures, which could be responsible for their losses. This could lead to a prolonged and complicated legal process.
Enforcement issues may arise as well. Despite Professor Kersting’s characterization of civil litigation as a crucial aspect of antitrust enforcement in the EU, should companies win their cases and Google opts not to comply, they would face the necessity of seeking intervention from U.S. courts. This scenario could generate tensions with the U.S. government, particularly as former President Donald Trump has vocally criticized European regulators for allegedly unfairly targeting American tech giants.
Google’s legal challenges extend beyond Europe. Last year, Yelp launched a lawsuit in San Francisco, accusing Google of leveraging its market power unfairly by prioritizing its own review platform over those of competitors, a claim the company staunchly denies.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
