Google likely to face Australian lawsuits from price comparison sites
Google is facing dozens of civil damage claims from price comparison websites in Europe that claim its search monopoly cost them billions of dollars. Legal experts have signalled the search giant may face similar legal action in Australia, should local businesses opt to mount a class action.
Google is currently battling at least 12 civil cases, across seven European countries, that allege the tech giant used its own search dominance to favour its own shopping services over other price comparison websites.
A 2017 ruling from the European Commission saw Google fined €2.4 billion for the practice, while a further ruling last year found the company violated antitrust laws, meaning plaintiffs can now sue for damages without proving the legal breach in court.
