On Wednesday, more than thirty European media companies brought a case against Google for its anticompetitive practices in the advertising technology marketplace. The case, filed in Amsterdam, is asking for 2.1 billion euros in damages. It follows similar investigations and cases concerning Google’s practices launched previously in France, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In their announcement of the case filing, the media companies noted that, due to Google’s dominant position in the ad tech marketplace, publishers have received significantly lower revenues from advertising and paid higher fees for services.
Danielle Coffey, President and CEO of the News/Media Alliance said, “This case, together with the numerous other investigations and cases around the world, lays bare the damage that Google’s dominant position and anticompetitive practices have inflicted on publishers of all sizes. We must support steps to restore a truly competitive ad tech marketplace. The Alliance stands firmly behind our European allies.”
The plaintiffs in the case include publishers operating in Poland, Finland, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary, and Norway.
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Members of the News/Media Alliance staff have contributed to this post.
