The UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has ruled that a class action lawsuit accusing Google of anti-competitive practices can proceed. The suit w

UK tribunal greenlights $17.4B advertising monopoly case against Google

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2024-06-05 18:00:05

The UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has ruled that a class action lawsuit accusing Google of anti-competitive practices can proceed.

The suit was originally filed in November 2022 by Ad Tech Collective Action LLP, which argues that the Chocolate Factory's dominant position in the online advertising industry has harmed British websites and apps that show ads.

"We allege that Google has breached competition law, which prohibits companies from abusing a dominant position," Ad Tech says on its website. "The claim alleges that all UK-based publishers of websites and apps ... that received revenue from the sale of online display ads may have suffered financial losses due to Google's practice and are entitled to compensation."

"Compensation should reflect the higher ad sales revenues which you should have earned if Google had not acted in breach of competition law," Ad Tech argues. The suit seeks £13.6 billion ($17.39 billion) in damages.

Google attempted to nip the case in the bud by asking the CAT to dismiss it, arguing that Ad Tech's claims were "misconceived" because it didn't offer precise enough counterfactuals to satisfy what is termed the Microsoft test.