A group of advertisers represented by KP Law is taking Google to court in the UK over allegations the tech giant abused its dominance in display advertising.
UK advertisers have launched legal action against Google, alleging it held a monopoly in the display advertising market.
The group, AGC Collective Actions Limited, represented by KP Law, has filed an application with the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal, and will be seeking damages estimated to be around £3bn.
The claimants accuse Google of prioritising its own display advertising services and excluding potential competitors, which left advertisers paying for a less effective service. The group are ultimately alleging Google abused its dominant market position in online display advertising.
“Google has a well-documented track record of anti-competitive behaviour in the online digital advertising space, in particular in relation to adtech, as recognised by courts and regulators across the US and Europe,” a spokesperson for KP Law and the proposed class representative said.
“It is only right that UK advertisers have their day in court and that Google now answers for its entrenched and longstanding anti-competitive behaviour. We look forward to working on behalf of advertisers to secure compensation for them from Google.”
Google faces a number of similar cases across Europe and the US.
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, could be facing a parallel damage claim worth billions through mass arbitration proceedings. The case expects to sign a number of advertisers and an economist estimates the claims for display ads and online search could reach over $218m, according to Bloomberg.
“Two federal judges have already adjudicated Google to be a monopolist,” lawyer Ashley Keller said in an interview with Bloomberg. “It seems sensible to seek redress.”
This comes after a judge ruled that Google held an illegal monopoly in search and search advertising. The court determined the ad giant’s control over publisher ad servers and ad exchanges broke antitrust laws – a number of legal disputes are expected to follow.
“This exclusionary conduct substantially harmed Google’s publisher customers, the competitive process, and, ultimately, consumers of information on the open web,” said Leonie Brinkema, US District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia.
