A German court has delivered a major setback to Google, ruling that the company unfairly used its dominant position to suppress competition in online price comparison services. The Regional Court of Berlin determined that Google’s practices disadvantaged rivals for years, clearing the way for substantial financial penalties. The decision requires Google to pay €465 million in damages to Idealo, one of Germany’s largest comparison platforms.
How Google allegedly gained an unfair advantage
At the centre of the case is Google Shopping — a service that places product listings and sponsored offers at the top of search results. According to the Berlin judges, this placement gave Google’s own product comparison tool major visibility benefits while pushing independent services further down the page.
The court concluded that this long-standing practice violated competition rules and harmed rival platforms by reducing their exposure in search. Idealo argued that it had lost significant revenue as a result of these tactics, claiming damages for a period stretching from 2008 to the end of 2023.
A historic win for Idealo — and potentially the first of many
Although Idealo originally demanded €3.3 billion including interest, the court awarded a fraction of the total claim — still a remarkably high amount for a German competition case. Idealo co-founder Albrecht von Sonntag described the ruling as a “milestone” in the fight against digital monopolies, calling it the first judgment of its kind in Germany.
The company has also signalled that additional claims for 2024 and 2025 may follow, depending on how Google continues to operate its services.
Another platform wins compensation as legal pressure intensifies
Idealo is not the only platform to benefit from this wave of litigation. In a separate Berlin case, Testberichte.de — operated by Producto GmbH — secured €107 million in damages. Together, the two rulings represent a combined €572 million penalty against Google.
Both judgments are subject to appeal. Google can challenge the decisions before the Berlin Court of Appeal, a step legal observers consider highly likely given the financial and strategic stakes.
Billions at risk as Europe ramps up scrutiny of Google’s business model
The German cases are part of a much broader legal movement across the EU. According to industry estimates cited by Bloomberg, competitors are pursuing roughly €12 billion in claims tied to Google’s shopping and search practices. Many of these businesses argue that Google’s self-preferencing systematically undermined their visibility and commercial viability.
Brussels is also turning up the heat. The European Commission recently opened a new investigation into whether Google discriminates against news publishers by giving its own services preferential placement in search results. This comes as the EU tightens digital competition rules under the Digital Markets Act.
A pivotal moment in Europe’s battle over digital market power
The Berlin judgment marks one of the most significant antitrust setbacks Google has faced at national level within the EU. While appeals are still pending, the decision signals that European courts may increasingly hold dominant tech companies financially liable for long-running competitive distortions.
For consumers, the cases shed light on how search result placement can shape online visibility — and how regulatory oversight is reshaping the digital marketplace.
