The UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has ruled that a class action accusing Google of anti-competitive practices can proceed.
Court rules that Google used monopoly power illegally | DW News
The lawsuit was originally filed in November 2022 by Ad Tech Collective Action LLP, which claims that The Chocolate Factory's dominant position in the online advertising industry has harmed UK websites and apps that serve ads.
"We claim that Google has violated competition law, which prohibits companies from abusing a dominant position," Ad Tech says on its website. "The claim alleges that all UK-based website and app publishers … who received revenue from the sale of online display ads may have suffered financial losses due to Google's practices and are entitled to compensation."
"The compensation should reflect the higher ad sales revenue you should have earned if Google had not acted in violation of competition law," Ad Tech claims. The lawsuit seeks 13.6 billion pounds ($17.39 billion) in damages.
