Google Ordered to Pay $665 Million in German Antitrust Damages Over Google Shopping

Google has suffered yet another setback on Europe’s antitrust front. According to a report from Reuters, a Berlin court has ruled that the company must pay a total of €572 million (nearly $665 million) in damages to two German firms for “abusing its dominant market position.”

Both plaintiffs are German price-comparison platforms. The court ordered Google to compensate Idealo approximately €465 million (about $540 million) and Producto around €107 million (roughly $124 million). At the heart of the ruling is the determination that Google misused its supremacy in the search market by engaging in “self-preferencing,” systematically giving prominence to its own Google Shopping service within search results.

When Idealo filed the lawsuit in February, it initially sought €3.3 billion (more than $3.8 billion) in damages, arguing that Google’s conduct created an unfair competitive advantage that severely impeded rival services.

In response, Google argued that it had already implemented changes in 2017 to allow competing shopping platforms the same visibility opportunities as Google Shopping. Yet Idealo remains dissatisfied with the awarded damages, stating that the sum “reflects only a fraction of the actual harm” and vowing to continue pursuing legal pressure.

Albrecht von Sonntag, Idealo’s co-founder and a member of its advisory board, added in a press release: “The abuse of a dominant position must carry consequences; it must never become a business model that remains profitable even after fines and compensation are paid.”

This is far from Google’s only legal challenge in Europe. The company was recently accused of favoring its own Google Flights and Google Hotels services in search results—an issue that has exposed it to substantial penalties under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).

And only a month ago, the European Commission imposed a nearly €3 billion (over $3.4 billion) fine on Google for anticompetitive practices in the ad-tech sector.

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