Google is the subject of legal action in the UK and the Netherlands. In the coming weeks, two complaints will be filed in the two countries against the US giant for “anti-competitive practices” in the field of online advertising. The plaintiffs are UK and European publishers seeking up to €25 billion in damages from Google, according to reports. the Guardian This Tuesday, September 13.
In June 2021, the French Competition Authority had already sentenced the American company to a fine of 220 million euros. Reason: Google had promoted, since 2014, its own marketing services for advertising space on Internet sites and applications. The Autorité’s decision thus paved the way for legal action by players who believed they had suffered from the practices of the American giant with the aim of claiming damages.
This complaint and the amount claimed are based on this basis. In fact, the lawyers explain that they are based on the calculation method presented in the decision of the French Competition Authority that highlighted the significant commissions collected by Google’s system of advertising exchange platforms, as well as the loss of income suffered by your competitors.
Specifically, a first complaint will be filed in the Netherlands, at the initiative of the firm Geradin Partners and the Dutch law firm Stek, which will bring together several European publishers. A second in a UK court for English publishers represented by two law firms: Geradin Partners and the British law firm Humphries Kerstetter.
In recent months, the European Commission and the UK Competition Authority (CMA) have announced that they are investigating Google’s practices in the area of advertising technologies. In addition, in the United States, a dozen states have filed complaints in federal courts.
Source: BFM TV
