Google Fined 665 Million in German Antitrust Ruling Over Market Abuse Google has been ordered by a Berlin court to pay a combined 572 million euros, nearly 665 million dollars, to two German price comparison platforms for abusing its dominant market position. The ruling states that Google illegally favored its own service, Google Shopping, in its search results, a practice known as self-preferencing. The tech giant must pay approximately 465 million euros, about 540 million dollars, to Idealo and another 107 million euros, roughly 124 million dollars, to Producto. Idealo initiated the legal action, arguing that Google’s practices created unfair market advantages that actively hindered competitors. Idealo had originally sought a much larger sum, demanding at least 3.3 billion euros, or more than 3.8 billion dollars, in damages earlier this year. In its defense, Google pointed to changes it made in 2017, which it claims allowed competing shopping platforms the same opportunity as Google Shopping to display ads within its search results. Despite the court’s ruling, Idealo has signaled that this is not the end of the matter. The company stated that the awarded amount represents only a fraction of the actual damage it suffered. Albrecht von Sonntag, co-founder and member of Idealo’s advisory board, emphasized that abuse of market dominance must have significant consequences and should not be allowed to remain a profitable business model even after fines and damages are paid. This case is part of a broader pattern of legal challenges Google faces in Europe. Beyond the shopping comparison sector, Google has also been accused of favoring its own services like Google Flights and Google Hotels in search results. These actions have led the European Union to threaten massive fines for violations of its new Digital Markets Act. Just a month prior to this German ruling, the European Commission fined Google nearly 3 billion euros, over 3.4 billion dollars, for anticompetitive practices within its advertising technology industry. This series of rulings and fines highlights the ongoing regulatory pressure on major tech companies concerning their market dominance and competitive conduct in the European market.
