EXCELLENT: EUROPEANS SMACK GOOGLE: Google faces $25.4bn damages claims in UK, Dutch courts over adtech practices
[Lovely. These freaking bastards screwed all of us Whites who had small websites and wanted to use their adverts and be paid fairly. Google f*cked me over and I was so infuriated not only over the adverts but being thrown off Youtube that I wanted to take them to court in South Africa. I actually tried. Jan]
‘It is time that Google owns up to its responsibilities and pays back the damages it has caused to this important industry.’
By Foo Yun Chee, Reuters 13 Sep 2022 11:14
Alphabet unit Google faces damages claims for up to 25 billion euros ($25.4 billion) over its digital advertising practices in two suits to be filed in British and Dutch courts in the coming weeks by a law firm on behalf of publishers.
Google’s adtech has recently drawn scrutiny from antitrust regulators following complaints from publishers.
The French competition watchdog imposed a 220-million-euro fine on the company last year while the European Commission and its UK peer are investigating whether Google’s adtech business gives it an unfair advantage over rivals and advertisers.
“It is time that Google owns up to its responsibilities and pays back the damages it has caused to this important industry. That is why today we are announcing these actions across two jurisdictions to obtain compensation for EU and UK publishers,” Damien Geradin at law firm Geradin Partners said in a statement on Tuesday.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The British claim at the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal will seek to recover compensation for lost revenue from the sale of advertising space on the websites of news publishers and any site funded by online advertising.
The Dutch claim is open to publishers affected by Google’s actions. Litigation funder Harbour is funding both lawsuits.