Google Antitrust

Google offers ad tech changes to settle €3 bn EU antitrust order

Despite the offer, the company said it still disagrees with the European Commission's September decision and plans to appeal

UK watchdog flags Google's dominance in search ads under new digital rules

Britain's antitrust watchdog on Friday labelled Google a strategic player in the online search advertising market, paving the way for regulators to force the company to change its business practices to ensure more competition in that market. The Competition and Markets Authority said its investigation found that the US tech giant has strategic market status" because it has substantial and entrenched market power in general search and search advertising. It marks the first time the watchdog has issued the designation since new UK digital rules took effect at the start of the year. The label doesn't imply any wrongdoing. But the regulator said it means it has the power to consider using proportionate, targeted" measures to make sure general search services are open to effective competition and that consumers and businesses are treated fairly. Online search ads appear alongside results from Google's search engine, usually tagged as Ad or Sponsored" versus online display ads, which ..

Google faces EU fine for boosting its own search platforms over rivals

Google may face its first EU fine under the new Digital Markets Act for giving unfair advantage to its own services like Google Shopping, Flights and Hotels, hurting competition and rivals

Google dodges Chrome sale in antitrust case, must share search data

Tuesday's ruling represents a blow to the government, falling far short of the most severe remedies sought by antitrust enforcers after the court found Google illegally monopolised the search market

Explained: How Google kept Chrome after its biggest antitrust showdown

The US court spared Chrome in Google's monopoly case, tightening rules on deals and data but stopping short of breaking up its massive ad business

Google loses appeal in antitrust battle with Fortnite maker

A federal appeals court has upheld a jury verdict condemning Google's Android app store as an illegal monopoly, clearing the way for a federal judge to enforce a potentially disruptive shakeup that's designed to give consumers more choices. The unanimous ruling issued Thursday by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals delivers a double-barrelled legal blow for Google, which has been waylaid in three separate antitrust trials that resulted in different pillars of its internet empire being declared as domineering scofflaws monopolies since late 2023. The unsuccessful appeal represents a major victory for video game maker Epic Games, which launched a legal crusade targeting Google's Play Store for Android apps and Apple's iPhone app store nearly five years ago in an attempt to bypass exclusive payment processing systems that charged 15% to 30% commissions on in-app transactions. The jury's December 2023 rebuke of Google's app store for Android-powered smartphones began a cascade of setback

Google agrees to reforms in $500 mn antitrust settlement with shareholders

Google parent Alphabet will invest $500 million over a decade to overhaul compliance under a shareholder antitrust lawsuit

Only Google can run Chrome: Company's browser chief during antitrust trial

Parisa Tabriz testified for hours before Judge Amit Mehta in a hearing on changes Google must make after being found guilty of illegally monopolising the search market last year

Google broke law by dominating online ad tech market, rules US judge

US court rules Google broke antitrust laws in ad tech market, paving way for possible breakup of its ad business. DOJ pushes for sale of key units like Google Ad Manager

Indonesia fines Google $12.4 mn for anti-competitive play billing practices

Indonesia joins India, Russia and the European Union, who have all imposed significant fines on the tech giant for alleged unfair competitive business practices

Google fights back on DOJ antitrust remedies: What is the monopoly lawsuit?

The US Department of Justice recommended various steps including the sale of web browse Chrome to settle antitrust case against Google: Lawsuit explained

Google seeks to undo Fortnite-maker Epic Games antitrust win over App Store

Google said in a filing Wednesday that US District Judge James Donato's ruling is mistaken and asked that the outcome of the long-running litigation be set aside

Google loses final EU court appeal in $2.7 bn antitrust shopping case

The European Union's Court of Justice upheld a lower court's decision, rejecting the company's appeal against the 2.4 billion Euro ($ 2.7 billion) penalty from the European Commission

US considers breaking up Google over online search monopoly: What it means

The US antitrust body has acknowledged Google's decade long domination on popular distribution channels, due to which its rivals have little-to-no incentive to compete

US considering potential divestment of business in Google's antitrust case

Google said it faces robust competition from Amazon and other sites where users go directly to search for goods or services, and that users can choose other search engines as their default

Google loses EU court appeal against 2.4 bn euro fine in antitrust case

Google lost its final legal challenge on Tuesday against a European Union penalty for giving its own shopping recommendations an illegal advantage over rivals in search results, ending a long-running antitrust case that came with a whopping fine. The European Union's Court of Justice upheld a lower court's decision, dismissing the company's appeal against the 2.4 billion euro (USD 2.7 billion) penalty from the European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's top antitrust enforcer. The commission's original decision in 2017 accused the Silicon Valley giant of unfairly directing visitors to its own Google Shopping service to the detriment of competitors. It was one of three multibillion-euro fines that the commission imposed on Google in the previous decade as Brussels started ramping up its crackdown on the tech industry. Google made changes to comply with the commission's decision requiring it to treat competitors equally. The company started holding auctions for shopping search listings

Yelp sues Google in wake of antitrust ruling on monopolising search

A Google spokesperson said in a statement that the company would vigorously defend against Yelp's meritless claims

Brace for changes in app store as punishment for monopoly: Judge to Google

A federal judge has indicated he will order major changes in Google's Android app store to punish the company for engineering a system that a jury declared an illegal monopoly that has hurt millions of consumers and app developers. Over the course of a three-hour hearing in San Francisco, US District Judge James Donato on Wednesday made it clear that the forthcoming shake-up he is contemplating will probably include a mandate requiring Google's Play Store for Android phones offer consumers a choice to download alternative app stores Donato has been weighing how to punish the Google since last December when a jury declared the Play Store a monopoly following a four-week trial. The verdict centred on Google's nearly exclusive control over distribution of apps designed for Android phones and the billing systems for the digital commerce occurring within them -- a system that generates billions of dollars in annual revenue for the company. In protesting the judge's potential requirements

Google illegally maintains monopoly, rules US court: Here's what it means

A US court ruled that Google violated the country's antitrust laws with its search business by illegally holding a monopoly over search and text advertising

Google made payments worth $20 bn to Apple in 2022, court documents show

The deal between the two tech giants is at the heart of the landmark case, in which antitrust enforcers allege Google has illegally monopolised the market for online search and related advertising