International NewsTechnology

Google slapped with a $2.4 billion lawsuit in Europe for favouring its own shopping service

Listen to this Article Now
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
Spread the love

Sweden-based price comparison service, PriceRunner, has announced that It is suing Google for €2.1 billion ($2.4 billion) after a European court ruled that Google breached EU antitrust laws. Last November, the European Union’s General Court upheld a decision to fine Google a record €2.42 billion (US$2.8 billion) for favouring its own comparison shopping services over rivals.

“We are … seeking compensation for the damage Google has caused us during many years, but are also seeing this lawsuit as a fight for consumers who have suffered tremendously from Google’s infringement of the competition law for the past fourteen years and still today,” said PriceRunner CEO, Mikael Lindahl.

PriceRunner claimed that Google has a “monopoly-like position” in Europe adding that it believes Google has still not complied with the EU Commission’s decision and is “abusing its dominant position.” As such, it claimed that traffic and profits are diverted from itself and other shopping services and that its offers are higher than other services, harming consumers. “Since the violation is still ongoing, the amount of damages increases every day, we expect the final damages amount of the lawsuit to be significantly higher,” it wrote.

Google lost its first appeal against the EU fine, but it launched another one last month, saying “we feel there are areas that require legal clarification from the European Court of Justice.” Engadget has reached out to Google for comments on the PriceRunner lawsuit.