German court rules Google must pay €572M for violating antitrust rules in price comparison sector

In Brief

A German tribunal has recovered that Google has abused its ascendant marketplace presumption successful the terms examination assemblage and ruled that the institution indispensable wage a full of €572 cardinal ($665.6 million) successful damages to 2 German terms examination companies, according to a report by Reuters.

Google indispensable wage the terms examination level Idealo astir €465 cardinal (about $540 million) successful damages, and €107 cardinal (about $124 million) to Producto, different terms examination tool, the study said.

Idealo had claimed damages of €3.3 cardinal from Google, arguing that its suit was a nonstop effect to the European Court of Justice’s ruling successful 2024 that recovered the hunt elephantine was self-preferencing its ain buying examination service, breaking contention rules, and fined it astir $2.7 billion.

Idealo said connected Friday that it intends to proceed its lawsuit against Google and question the afloat damages it had sued for.

“We invited the tribunal of Google holding accountable. But the consequences of self-favoring spell acold beyond the magnitude awarded. We volition proceed to combat – due to the fact that marketplace maltreatment indispensable person consequences and indispensable not go a lucrative concern exemplary that is worthwhile contempt fines and compensation payments,” Idealo’s co-founder and CEO Albrecht von Sonntag said successful a statement.

Google whitethorn entreaty the ruling, the study added.

The ruling follows adjacent connected the heels of an EU investigation into however Google’s spam argumentation affects publishers’ hunt rankings. The institution was precocious fined €2.95 cardinal (just nether $3.5 billion) by the EU for allegedly breaching EU antitrust rules by favoring its ain advertizing services.

Google did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

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