Dozens of EU companies are suing Google for €12 Billion in antitrust damages

Google now faces at least €12 billion (around $13.3 billion) in civil damage claims from dozens of price comparison websites across the European Union. These companies say that Google unfairly used its dominant position in the Search business to promote its own shopping service, and pushed other businesses down while also "stealing" their customers.

Google was first fined €2.4 billion by the European Commission in 2017 for "abusing its market power" when it promoted its own shopping service. The ruling triggered a wave of many "follow-on" lawsuits from affected companies, but they were delayed as Google appealed the decision.

Last year, Europe's top court confirmed that Google had indeed violated antitrust laws, meaning that companies suing Google would no longer have to prove the damages they suffered. The total claims from these lawsuits are now adding up to at least €12 billion.

Here's a breakdown of the claims and the companies making them, as per Bloomberg:

Google says that it disagrees with the claims and argues that it has made changes since 2017 that have benefited these comparison shopping sites. It also says that it complied with the EU's requirements and that the industry is now thriving because of it.

These lawsuits against Google will take many years to resolve. If Europe's courts rule in favor of the price comparison companies, Google will have to shell out a lot of money in addition to the fines it has already paid.

Source: Bloomberg