In a recent development, it has been reported that an association comprising of over thirty European media companies have filed a lawsuit against the U.S.-based company, Google. These companies are seeking damages amounting to 2.1 billion euros. The lawsuit has been filed in the Netherlands and the media companies involved in this legal action include Belgium’s Mediahuis, DPG Media, and Roularta.
The primary contention of these media companies revolves around the alleged monopolistic practices of Google in the online advertising market. They are accusing Google of exploiting its dominant position in the market for its own benefit and thus, are seeking compensation for the same.
These accusations have been validated by various authorities in several European countries. For instance, in 2021, the French competition regulator found Google guilty of promoting and favoring its own advertising tools over those of its competitors. As a consequence, Google had to pay a fine of 220 million euros as part of a settlement.
These media companies argue that due to Google’s unfair practices, they have suffered financial losses. In order to avoid any contradictions and escalating costs, they have decided to take a collective legal action against Google.
