Court Rules $17 Billion UK Advertising Lawsuit Against Google Can Go Ahead

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Google parent Alphabet must face a lawsuit worth up to $17.4 billion for allegedly abusing its dominance in the online advertising market, London's Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) ruled on Wednesday. The lawsuit, which seeks damages on behalf of publishers of websites and apps based in the United Kingdom, is the latest case to focus on the search giant's business practices. Ad Tech Collective Action is bringing the claim on behalf of publishers who say they have suffered losses due to Google's allegedly anti-competitive behavior.

Google last month urged the CAT to block the case, which it argued was incoherent. The company 'strongly rejects the underlying allegations', its lawyers said in court documents.
The CAT said in a written ruling that it would certify the case to proceed towards a trial, which is unlikely to take place before the end of 2025. The tribunal also emphasized the test for certifying a case under the UK's collective proceedings regime -- which is roughly equivalent to the United States' class action regime -- is relatively low. 'Google works constructively with publishers across the UK and Europe,' Google legal director Oliver Bethell said in a statement. Bethell added: 'This lawsuit is speculative and opportunistic. We'll oppose it vigorously and on the facts.'

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