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More than 30 media companies have teamed up for a legal battle with the tech giant.
Today we have already mentioned in passing that more than 30 European media organizations have filed a lawsuit against Google in the amount of 2.1 billion euros, accusing the search giant of using anti-competitive methods in advertising technologies. In this news, we will look at this situation in more detail.
According to the plaintiffs organizations, it was the methods of the American corporation that caused the decline in their income. The lawsuit is filed on behalf of dozens of different companies, including the German publishing group Axel Springer, which publishes more than 150 titles of newspapers and magazines in more than 32 countries around the world.
The interests of the affected organizations were represented in the Amsterdam District Court by European law firms Geradin Partners and Stek.
The plaintiffs claim that Google's alleged abuse has made the online publishing market less competitive. They believe that without Google abusing its dominant position, online advertising revenues would be higher and advertising technology fees lower.
The basis of the lawsuit is the decision of the French Antitrust Authority in 2021, which previously accused Google of preferring its own advertising services to the detriment of competitors and ordered the media giant to pay a fine of 220 million euros.
The lawsuit also relies on a statement from the European Commission, coupled with US and UK investigations pointing to anti-competitive practices in Google's advertising business.
Damien Geradin of Geradin Partners said it was time to hold the company accountable for its abuses and compensate for the damage done to the European media sector.
At the same time, a Google spokesperson claims that the company's advertising technologies benefit European publishers by helping millions of websites and apps finance their content and effectively attract new customers. Google intends to actively defend its position, calling the lawsuit speculative and mercantile.
It is worth noting that Google has a long history of conflicting relationships with various news organizations. It all started back in 2006, when the Copiepress news agency accused Google News of copyright infringement.
The above-described lawsuit from 30 media companies was filed amid a crisis in the media industry caused by a decrease in the priority of news distribution in social networks, a decrease in online traffic to news sites, a redistribution of advertising budgets, layoffs and other negative factors.
This situation demonstrates the complex relationship between tech giants like Google and traditional media organizations.
On the one hand, companies like Google provide powerful advertising tools and access to a huge audience, which can help media earn and distribute their content. On the other hand, the dominant position of such companies in the online advertising market creates a risk of abuse and undermines the positions of other players.
This conflict of interest requires balanced regulation to encourage innovation and the provision of useful services, while protecting fair competition and media pluralism. A compromise here is not easy, but it is extremely necessary, and sooner or later it will definitely be found.
Today we have already mentioned in passing that more than 30 European media organizations have filed a lawsuit against Google in the amount of 2.1 billion euros, accusing the search giant of using anti-competitive methods in advertising technologies. In this news, we will look at this situation in more detail.
According to the plaintiffs organizations, it was the methods of the American corporation that caused the decline in their income. The lawsuit is filed on behalf of dozens of different companies, including the German publishing group Axel Springer, which publishes more than 150 titles of newspapers and magazines in more than 32 countries around the world.
The interests of the affected organizations were represented in the Amsterdam District Court by European law firms Geradin Partners and Stek.
The plaintiffs claim that Google's alleged abuse has made the online publishing market less competitive. They believe that without Google abusing its dominant position, online advertising revenues would be higher and advertising technology fees lower.
The basis of the lawsuit is the decision of the French Antitrust Authority in 2021, which previously accused Google of preferring its own advertising services to the detriment of competitors and ordered the media giant to pay a fine of 220 million euros.
The lawsuit also relies on a statement from the European Commission, coupled with US and UK investigations pointing to anti-competitive practices in Google's advertising business.
Damien Geradin of Geradin Partners said it was time to hold the company accountable for its abuses and compensate for the damage done to the European media sector.
At the same time, a Google spokesperson claims that the company's advertising technologies benefit European publishers by helping millions of websites and apps finance their content and effectively attract new customers. Google intends to actively defend its position, calling the lawsuit speculative and mercantile.
It is worth noting that Google has a long history of conflicting relationships with various news organizations. It all started back in 2006, when the Copiepress news agency accused Google News of copyright infringement.
The above-described lawsuit from 30 media companies was filed amid a crisis in the media industry caused by a decrease in the priority of news distribution in social networks, a decrease in online traffic to news sites, a redistribution of advertising budgets, layoffs and other negative factors.
This situation demonstrates the complex relationship between tech giants like Google and traditional media organizations.
On the one hand, companies like Google provide powerful advertising tools and access to a huge audience, which can help media earn and distribute their content. On the other hand, the dominant position of such companies in the online advertising market creates a risk of abuse and undermines the positions of other players.
This conflict of interest requires balanced regulation to encourage innovation and the provision of useful services, while protecting fair competition and media pluralism. A compromise here is not easy, but it is extremely necessary, and sooner or later it will definitely be found.
