European Court of Justice condemns Google for competition infringement
Sophie Deistler
| 10.11.2021
In future, Google will no longer be allowed to position its own Google Shopping products more conspicuously 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 convicted Google of infringing competition. The company is now to pay a fine of 2.4 billion euros, 523.5 million is to come from parent company Alphabet. The accusation: Google allegedly exploited its monopoly position by positioning Google Shopping search results more conspicuously and higher up than those of comparable shopping portals.
The case was already 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 the future. For start-ups that place ads on Google Shopping, on the other hand, the decision of the European Court of Justice could have a negative impact.
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