European Court of Justice condemns Google for infringement of competition law
In future, Google will no longer be allowed to position its own Google Shopping products more prominently and higher up than those of comparable shopping portals. The ruling also has implications for the German start-up scene.
The European Court of Justice has found Google guilty of infringing competition law. The company is now to pay a fine of 2.4 billion euros, with 523.5 million coming from its parent company Alphabet. The allegation: Google is said to have exploited its monopoly position by positioning Google Shopping search results more prominently and higher up than those of comparable shopping portals.
The case was heard by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg in June 2017. Google and Alphabet then tried to avert the ruling - without success. The court has now confirmed its decision.
The ruling also has implications for the German start-up scene, and Idealo in particular could benefit. The results of the German price comparison portal could appear higher up in the Google search engine in future. For start-ups that advertise on Google Shopping, however, the decision of the European Court of Justice could have a negative impact.
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