Google Sued in Europe for $2.4 Billion in Damages Over Shopping Antitrust Case

Google is being sued in Europe on competition grounds by price comparison service PriceRunner which is seeking at least ~$2.4 billion in damages. From a report: The lawsuit accuses Google of continuing to breach a 2017 European Commission antitrust enforcement order against Google Shopping. As well as fining Google what was -- at the time -- a record-breaking antitrust penalty (2.42 billion euro), the EU's competition division ordered the search giant to cease illegal behaviors, after finding it Google giving prominent placement to its own shopping comparison service while simultaneously demoting rivals in organic search results. Immediately following the order, Google made some initial tweaks to how its product search service works -- doubling down on an auction model. But complainants were instantly critical of the changes, arguing they neither remedied the unfairness nor complied with the EU's requirement for equal treatment of price comparison services. The following year, an investigation by Sky News also accused Google of trying to circumvent the EU antitrust ruling by offering incentives to ad agencies to create faux comparison sites filled with ads for their clients' products which Google could display in the Google Shopping box to present the impression of a thriving marketplace for price comparison services.

Somebody did not check what the law says...

[gweihir]

Typical arrogance of large corporations. In the US they get away with crap like that because antitrust administration in the US has gotten corrupted and is exceptionally weak. Looks like they will not get away with it in the EU. Of course, weak antitrust is devastation for an economy long-term.

Re:

[jonsmirl]

When is Google simply going to shut down their comparison shopping operations in the EU? These fines have to be exceeding the profit they made off from it.

The end game here is Amazon domination of shopping in the EU, not Google.

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[gweihir]

I don't think anybody will dominate EU shopping. Amazon is just as subject to EU anti-trust laws as Google is. But Google ha already been fined. This is about them compensating somebody that suffered damage, not a punishment.

The EU decided not to make Intel pay...

[Targon]

Intel LOST its case when it comes to anti-competitive behavior, yet still appealed and eventually the EU decided that Intel didn't have to pay, even after Intel lost the case. If the EU can't even collect fines/penalties from those who actually lost their case in a blatant case of anti-competitive behavior, then the EU shouldn't be able to even go after anyone else. Intel was and still is guilty of anti-competitive behavior, while the case against Google isn't nearly as cut and dry.

next

[renegade600]

Next grocery, department, and discount stores will be sued for favoring their own name brands.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion