Google Faces Lawsuit in UK and Europe over Digital Advertising

TECHNOLOGY

Google faces a lawsuit of 24 billion dollars in Europe and the United Kingdom that accuses the technology company of anticompetitive conduct in the digital advertising market. Google, which is a key player in the online advertising market as well as being a dominant force in search, is accused of abusing its power in the advertisement technology market that coordinates the sale of online advertising space between advertisers and publishers.

Damien Geradin, of the law firm Geradin Partners, Belgium, said publishers, including local and national news media who play an important role in their society, have long been harmed by the anticompetitive conduct of Google.

He also said it is time that Google owns up to the responsibilities and pays back the damages it has caused to the advertisement industry. They are also announcing these actions across two jurisdictions to obtain compensation for the publishers in the United Kingdom and Europe.

The United Kingdom will be opt-out, which means that affected parties will automatically treat as part of the claim, while the European claim will be lodged in the Netherlands will be opt-in, which means the claimants need to apply to join the suit.

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The combined suits are also seeking total compensation that can reach 25 billion dollars. The suits are also being financed by litigation funding companies in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.