Latest news with #OrBrook
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Google faces £5bn UK lawsuit
Google is facing a class action lawsuit in the UK, with potential damages exceeding £5bn ($6.62bn), over claims that the US tech giant leveraged its dominant position to inflate prices. The legal action has been filed at the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal by competition law expert, Dr Or Brook. Or Brook Class Representative Limited, a company wholly owned and controlled by Dr. Brook, has filed the claim on behalf of hundreds of thousands of British businesses that advertised with Google between 1 January 2011 and 16 April 2025. The lawsuit alleges that the tech giant has abused its dominant market position to prevent both existing and potential competitors from entering the general search and search advertising markets, thereby allowing Google to impose supra-competitive advertising prices. The lawsuit seeks compensation for thousands of UK advertisers impacted by the company's actions. Dr Or Brook, representing all affected advertisers, said: 'Regulators around the world have described Google as a monopoly and securing a spot on Google's top pages is essential for visibility. Google has been leveraging its dominance in the general search and search advertising market to overcharge advertisers. 'This class action is about holding Google accountable for its unlawful practices and seeking compensation on behalf of UK advertisers who have been overcharged.' Key allegations include Google's contracts with smartphone manufacturers and network operators that mandate the pre-installation of Google Search and the Chrome browser on Android devices. The suit also highlights Google's agreement with Apple, under which it pays to remain the default search engine on iPhones. Plaintiffs argue that these practices have made Google the only practical platform for online search advertising. It also alleges that Google's anti-competitive practices secure its dominance as the default option, effectively blocking competitors from gaining a foothold in the general search and search advertising markets. As a result, the cost of search advertising has risen significantly, leading to substantial financial losses for advertisers, The claim is supported by a legal team comprising specialists in competition litigation and digital markets from Geradin Partners. The counsel team also includes Robert O'Donoghue KC (Brick Court Chambers), among others. Geradin Partners founding partner Damien Geradin said: 'Google is one of the most powerful companies in the world. However, through a range of deliberate and exclusionary practices, it has sought to eliminate its rivals and dominate the search advertising market, ultimately overcharging UK advertisers by billions of pounds. 'This is the first claim of its kind in the UK that seeks redress for the harm caused specifically to businesses who have been forced to pay inflated prices for advertising space on Google pages.' Earlier in April 2025, The Information reported that Google laid off several hundred employees within its platforms and devices division. The affected division includes the Android operating system, Pixel smartphones, and the Chrome browser, among other services. "Google faces £5bn UK lawsuit" was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Google Faces $6.6B UK Lawsuit Alleging Search Monopoly Abuse; Stock Slides
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) shares fell more than 2% in early Wednesday trading after Google was hit with a multi-billion-pound class action lawsuit in the U.K., accusing the tech giant of abusing its dominance in the online search market. The 5 billion (roughly $6.6 billion) claim, filed on behalf of British businesses that have used Google's search advertising services since 2011, alleges that Google leveraged its "near-total control" to inflate ad prices by limiting competition in the sector. The legal complaint, led by competition law scholar Or Brook and represented by Geradin Partners, claims Google paid Apple (AAPL) billions to remain the default search engine on Safari. It also says the company struck deals with Android phone makers to pre-install Google Search and Chrome, further locking out rivals. Brook said U.K. businesses have had "almost no choice" but to rely on Google for online ads and argued the company "overcharged" advertisers through anti-competitive behavior, according to a Wednesday CNBC report. The lawsuit adds to growing global scrutiny over Google's market dominance and follows similar regulatory pushback in the U.S. and EU. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio
The Guardian
16-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Google sued for £5bn in UK over allegations of shutting out rivals
Google is being sued in the UK for up to £5bn in damages over allegations it shut out rivals in the internet search market and abused this dominance to overcharge businesses for advertisements. A class action filed at the competition appeal tribunal on Tuesday argues that the US technology company has taken actions that enable it to charge higher prices for the promotions that appear in search inquiries than it otherwise could in a fair market. It alleged that Google, which is owned by the US tech company Alphabet, contracted phone makers to preinstall the Google search app and Chrome browser on Android devices and paid Apple to make it the default search engine on iPhones, with the intention of shutting out competition. The claim is filed by the competition law expert Or Brook on behalf of thousands of businesses and alleges Google ensured its search engine had better functionality and more features for Google's own advertising offering than that of its competitors. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion A Google spokesperson said: 'This is yet another speculative and opportunistic case – and we will argue against it vigorously. Consumers and advertisers use Google because it helpful, not because there are no alternatives.' Brook said businesses had almost no choice but to use Google ads to advertise their products and services. 'Regulators around the world have described Google as a monopoly and securing a spot on Google's top pages is essential for visibility,' she said in a statement. 'Google has been leveraging its dominance in the general search and search advertising market to overcharge advertisers.' The Competition and Markets Authority launched a UK investigation in January into Google's search services, including their impact on advertising markets. It said at the time that millions of people and businesses relied on Google's services, which accounted for 90% of searches and were used by more than 200,000 UK businesses to advertise, which is still ongoing.
Wall Street Journal
16-04-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Google Faces Potential $5.6 Billion U.K. Antitrust Lawsuit Over Search Advertising
Google is facing a potential 5 billion-pound ($5.64 billion) collective action lawsuit in the U.K. that claims it abused its dominance and overcharged companies for search advertising services. The claim filed Wednesday–brought by British competition law academic Or Brook represented by law firm Geradin Partners–argues that Alphabet GOOGL -1.74%decrease; red down pointing triangle-owned Google abused its dominant position in the digital economy to exclude competitors from the general search and search advertising markets, allowing it to charge higher prices for search ads.
CNN
16-04-2025
- Business
- CNN
Google faces $6.6 billion lawsuit in Britain for alleged abuse of dominance in online search
Google is being sued in Britain for potential damages of up to £5 billion ($6.6 billion) in a class action alleging the company abused its dominant market position in online search. The class action, filed at the Competition Appeal Tribunal Tuesday, argues that Google's actions enabled it to charge higher prices for the advertisements that appear in search inquiries than it otherwise could in a competitive market. It said the US company, owned by Alphabet (GOOGL), contracted phone makers to pre-install Google Search and the Chrome browser on Android devices and paid Apple to make it the default search engine on iPhones, with the intention of shutting out competition. The claim, filed by competition law expert Or Brook on behalf of thousands of businesses, alleges Google ensured its search engine had better functionality and more features for Google's own advertising offering than that of its competitors. Google said this was 'yet another speculative and opportunistic case.' 'We will argue against it vigorously,' a spokesperson said. 'Consumers and advertisers use Google because it is helpful, not because there are no alternatives.' Brook said businesses had almost no choice but to use Google ads to advertise their products and services. 'Regulators around the world have described Google as a monopoly and securing a spot on Google's top pages is essential for visibility,' she said in a statement. 'Google has been leveraging its dominance in the general search and search advertising market to overcharge advertisers.' Britain's antitrust regulator launched an investigation into Google's search services, including their impact on advertising markets, in January. The country's Competition and Markets Authority said at the time that millions of people and businesses relied on Google's services, which accounted for 90% of searches and were used by more than 200,000 UK businesses to advertise.
