Global Tech Giant Google has lost a 15-year legal battle against a UK couple and has been fined £2.4 billion (approximately Rs 26,172 crore) for misusing its market dominance with its shopping comparison service. The European Court of Justice upheld the 2017 fine imposed by the European Commission on Google, dismissing the tech giant’s appeal, according to media reports. Google expressed disappointment over the decision.
The victorious couple, Shivaun Raff and her husband Adam, opened up on how Google’s automatic spam filter targeted their price comparison site, Foundem.
Google Fined Rs 26,172 Crore: All Details
It all began in 2006 when the couple left their lucrative jobs to start their own business. Foundem provided users with product price comparisons. The founders noticed that Foundem was buried in search results for critical search terms, including “price comparison” and “comparison shopping”, shortly after launch. As a result, Foundem was virtually invisible to its intended users, severely impacting its revenue potential. The couple reached out to Google, sending numerous requests to lift the penalty. The couple’s requests were reportedly left ignored for more than two years.
Meanwhile, Channel 5’s The Gadget Show crowned Foundem the UK’s number one price comparison site. However, the couple hadn’t received any proper response from the Google. The couple finally decided to approach regulators in the UK, US, and Brussels.
Foundem eventually got closed in 2016. Shivaun and Adam Raff are now seeking damages in a civil lawsuit against Google. The trial is scheduled for 2026.
Notably, in 2017, Google received a record-breaking fine of £2.4 billion from the European Commission. This was reportedly the biggest fine imposed on the tech giant at that time. However, it’s since been surpassed by an even larger fine of £4.3 billion.
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