Google's long-running battle with European regulators is entering a more expensive chapter. According to a Reuters report, the tech giant's loss in the first case brought under the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) has opened the door to a fresh wave of private litigation, with rivals across Europe now seeking as much as $10 billion in damages.
The company, which has already paid out billions in EU fines since 2017, is now contending with lawsuits filed by smaller competitors in at least half a dozen European countries, Reuters reported, citing litigation financiers and lawyers tracking the cases.
How the DMA Triggered New Lawsuits
The latest surge in legal action follows a €1 billion fine imposed on Google last week. This is the first penalty issued under the DMA, the EU's landmark digital competition law. Regulators found that Google had favoured its own services and stopped app developers from directing users toward cheaper alternatives outside the Google Play Store.
Lawyers say the ruling's finding of continued anticompetitive conduct could encourage more companies to pursue damages claims. According to Reuters, the ruling could encourage a fresh wave of private litigation. Thomas Hoppner, a partner at Geradin Partners who represented German price-comparison platform Idealo in a separate case, told the news agency that specialised search firms may now pursue damages claims covering not only the DMA period but also earlier years under Article 102, the EU's longstanding prohibition on the abuse of a dominant market position.
A Berlin court previously ordered Google to pay Idealo roughly €465 million (about $528.9 million), reportedly the largest damages award ever handed down by a German court in an antitrust case. Google has pushed back on the claims. Google has pushed back against the litigation, arguing that rivals are pursuing payouts rather than investing in better products. The company maintains that the claims are without merit.
EU Fines Add Pressure Amid Google's AI Spending Surge
The DMA penalty adds to more than €10 billion in EU fines levied against Google over the past decade, several of which remain under appeal. That figure does not include a €1.5 billion fine from 2019 that was later overturned.
The timing is notable, with the fresh legal exposure coming as Alphabet ramps up AI infrastructure spending. Alphabet posted negative free cash flow in the second quarter for the first time since going public, as AI investment strains the company's finances.
Among the earlier cases feeding into the current legal pressure is Google's 2017 shopping-comparison fine, worth €2.42 billion, which stemmed from complaints that Google had prioritised its own comparison-shopping service in search results starting in 2008. Google lost its appeal against that ruling at Europe's top court last year.
Several companies harmed by that conduct pursued claims independently. Sweden's PriceRunner, backed by Klarna, filed a multibillion-dollar suit in 2022 after Google's appeal was rejected. UK-based Kelkoo is also seeking billions of pounds in damages. Kelkoo CEO Richard Stables told Reuters the DMA ruling strengthens ongoing claims because it demonstrates Google is still favouring its own services today, giving other claimants more grounds to sue.
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What This Means for Big Tech Regulation and Google's Legal Strategy
The DMA penalty was Google's fifth or sixth fine overall for anticompetitive conduct. Just last month, the company lost a lengthy appeal against a €4.1 billion EU fine tied to its use of the Android operating system to restrict rivals. Moltiply Group, one of the companies that filed a complaint against Google, said the DMA decision strengthens its damages claim.
Legal experts note that time tends to favour Google, since antitrust cases can stretch on for years while the company exhausts its appeals. In the shopping-comparison case, nearly two decades passed between the alleged misconduct and the end of Google's legal challenges. Antitrust litigation can take years to conclude, particularly when appeals are involved.
This pattern is playing out again in the PriceRunner case; a Stockholm court ordered Google in July to pay close to $1.97 billion, including interest. Klarna welcomed the ruling but isn't expecting a quick payout; the company's counsel believes an appeal could take well over a year, and likely longer.
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