Google just took a €572 million ($665.6 million) hit from a German court ruling that found the search giant abused its dominant position in the price comparison market. The landmark decision orders Google to compensate two German shopping platforms - Idealo and Producto - for damages caused by self-preferencing its own Google Shopping service over competitors, marking the latest in a string of major antitrust losses for the tech giant across Europe.
A German court just delivered a crushing €572 million verdict against Google, finding the search giant systematically crushed competition in the price comparison market. The ruling orders Google to pay €465 million to German shopping platform Idealo and another €107 million to rival service Producto - though both companies are pushing for much more.
The decision sends shockwaves through the tech industry as European courts increasingly target Google's market dominance. Idealo had originally sought €3.3 billion in damages, arguing Google's anti-competitive practices devastated their business for years. The company's legal strategy directly leveraged the European Court of Justice's 2024 ruling that found Google violated competition rules by promoting its own shopping service over competitors.
"We welcome the court holding Google accountable. But the consequences of self-favoring go far beyond the amount awarded," Idealo co-founder and CEO Albrecht von Sonntag said in a company statement. "We will continue to fight - because market abuse must have consequences and must not become a lucrative business model that is worthwhile despite fines and compensation payments."
Google isn't backing down. The company immediately announced plans to appeal both rulings, defending its 2017 changes to Google Shopping. "The changes we made in 2017 are working well, with no intervention from the European Commission," a Google spokesperson told Reuters. The company claims price comparison sites using its Shopping Unit remedy have multiplied from seven to 1,550 across Europe.
But the numbers tell a different story about Google's market grip. The original 2024 European Court ruling hit Google with a $2.7 billion fine for self-preferencing - one of the largest antitrust penalties in tech history. Now German courts are forcing the company to pay actual damages to competitors who claim years of lost revenue.
