European media are suing Google. Among them, Agora. It is about EUR 1.9 billion

Among those suing the Internet giant is also the Agora SA Group, which owns the portal, including . Google’s abuses have been noted and documented by several European authorities. In 2021, it found that Google had abused its dominant position in advertising technology by favoring its own tools over those of competitors, to the detriment of website publishers. It is also worth adding that the European Commission raised written objections against Google in June 2023, initially stating that the company had abused its dominant position, violating EU competition law. In December 2023, Google filed a response to these preliminary findings.

34 publishers are suing Google

Now 34 European media organizations have decided to consolidate their compensation claims against one of the largest global corporations that has exploited its dominant market position for many years. The coalition decided to file a lawsuit against Google in the Netherlands, a key jurisdiction for antitrust damages claims in Europe. This centralized approach eliminates the need to file multiple lawsuits in different European countries, which carries the risk of inconsistency and cost spirals.

The media companies involved in the proceedings suffered losses due to a less competitive market, which is a direct result of Google’s misconduct. If the tech giant did not abuse its dominant position, media entities would receive much higher advertising revenues and pay lower fees for AdTech services. What is important is that these funds could be invested in strengthening the European media market. The coalition of media companies operates in 17 European countries and includes some of Europe’s largest news media, as well as many smaller regional newspapers.

“Others should do the same”

– We are proud of the fact that we represent 34 publishers in bringing this lawsuit. Enough time has passed for the nature of Google’s inappropriate ad technology practices to become clear to everyone. It’s time for Google to be held accountable for its abuses and compensate the entities that make up Europe’s diverse and important media sector, says Damien Geradin, founding partner of Geradin Partners, a law firm that represents publishers.

– Many publishers have suffered losses as a result of Google’s illegal actions. It is important to take action not only to obtain full compensation for the damages suffered, but also to ensure that Google’s anti-competitive actions are not repeated in the future. We are pleased that 34 large media companies have decided to bring forward claims. Others should do the same, says Jan Bart van de Hel, partner at Stek, which filed the lawsuit together with the law firm.

Agora’s statement

Agora SA and two companies from its capital group are participating in the proceedings to obtain compensation from Google arising from the claims of European publishers: Grupa Radiowa Agory Sp. z o. o. and Eurozet Sp. z o. o

“We believe that the claims pursued are based on significant legal arguments confirmed by previous antitrust proceedings, and in particular by the final decision of the French competition authority. However, regardless of this, the case has a precedent-setting nature and its final result is difficult to predict. For this reason, the injured parties media groups decided to use the mechanism of financing the proceedings by an external entity, which also bears the risk of possible failure. In the event of obtaining compensation, after deducting the costs of the process and the remuneration of advisors and the person financing the proceedings, the amount divided into individual publishers will be transferred to Agora and its companies subsidiaries that are parties to the dispute,” comments Agora.

The lawsuit is financially supported by Harbor. Harbor agreed to cover the costs of the legal proceedings, including if the lawsuit fails. In return, participating media groups will share a portion of any damages awarded with Harbor. The media chose to use litigation financing because it reduces the financial risk of suing Google, one of the largest companies in the world, and means they do not have to commit their financial resources to litigation to repair damages suffered due to Google’s unfair conduct. .

What is AdTech?

When we browse websites, we often see pop-up ads. These ads are not random, but are the result of an advanced process that acts as a link between us – Internet users – and advertisers who want to reach potential customers.

Google has a dominant position in key stages of this process. It operates a leading ad server for website publishers, such as news companies, which are plaintiffs in this lawsuit. It also operates a key supply-side platform where tools used by advertisers can bid for impressions. Finally, it owns the key tools used by advertisers. Therefore, he is simultaneously a broker, auctioneer and sales agent.