Google faces $9 billion UK lawsuit after US monopoly ruling

Google faces a $9 billion UK lawsuit post-US monopoly ruling on search dominance.

: Google faces a nearly $9 billion UK lawsuit after being declared a monopoly in the US. The UK Competition Appeal Tribunal denied Google's dismissal attempt of a £7 billion lawsuit tied to its dominance in search and ads. Filed by Nikki Stopford, the claim covers UK consumers affected by Google's business practices since 2011. This follows the DOJ's recommendations and involves potential significant changes to Google's business dealings.

Google is confronted with a substantial $9 billion lawsuit in the UK following a significant legal defeat in the US declaring it a monopoly. The lawsuit filed in the UK pertains to Google's dominance in the search and advertising markets, causing price increases that affected consumers. The UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal has recently rejected Google's motion to dismiss this nearly £7 billion ($8.8 billion) lawsuit, which was initiated by consumer rights advocate Nikki Stopford. This suit involves UK residents who purchased from businesses utilizing Google's ad services since January 2011.

The claim argues against Google's strategy of demanding Android manufacturers to pre-install Chrome and default to Google Search and criticizes payments to Apple for similar practices on iOS. The tribunal's decision references a €4.34 billion fine by the European Commission in 2018 for the same policies. In the realm of US law, the Department of Justice has recommended drastic measures such as selling Chrome and licensing out Google's internal data to resolve its monopoly status.

The case has sparked considerable concern among tech watchers, who highlight Google's disproportionate market control that could threaten smaller competitors like DuckDuckGo and Bing. Experts note that Google commands a staggering 80% of the search engine market and controls 60% of the browser market. The DOJ may push further corrective actions if appeals are lost, potentially affecting products like Android and further altering Google's business operations.

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