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Google rivals queue up for damages following record $1 billion fine
Europe’s years-long crackdown on Google’s business practices is moving into a costly new phase, with the loss of the first case against it under new EU rules paving the way for a wave of private lawsuits seeking up to $10 billion in damages.
Alphabet’s search powerhouse, which has already swallowed billions of euros in EU fines since 2017, is also facing lawsuits from smaller rivals across Europe, according to half a dozen lawyers and litigation funders, and a tally of cases filed in half a dozen nations.
This followed a $1 billion fine – the first imposed under the Digital Markets Act – for favouring its own services and blocking app developers from guiding customers to cheaper alternatives outside its app store, Google Play.
That judgment of persistent misconduct could encourage more parties to sue, lawyers believe. ‘This will lead to a new wave of lawsuits, I suspect,’ said Thomas Hoppner, a partner at Geradin Partners who advised German price comparison platform Idealo for market abuse.
Germany’s largest ever fine for an antitrust violation, a Berlin court ordered Idealo to pay €465 million ($528.9 million) in damages in November.
Under Article 102, specialised search businesses “may seek damages, possibly not only for the DMA period but also for the years before the DMA breaches,” noted Hoppner, referring to older EU legislation that prohibits enterprises from exploiting a dominating market position.
“The claims are without merit,” Google said.“A Google spokesperson said, ‘We strongly oppose these lawsuits, brought by companies seeking a payout instead of investing in their own products.’
SHOPPING AROUND
The damages claims come as Google has gone on an AI investment spree that has left it burning cash, with Alphabet’s free cash flow becoming negative in the second quarter for the first time as a public business.
They come on top of €10.4 billion EU-led sanctions on Google over the past decade as authorities crack down on Big Tech. The private cases are at various levels, with more in the works and yet to be filed, lawyers and litigation financing businesses said.
When Google began promoting its own comparison shopping service in search results in 2008, traffic to other price comparison sites dropped and complaints were filed, resulting in an EU investigation that led to a €2.42 billion fine in 2017.
Google appealed the decision, but lost in Europe’s top court last year.
Britain’s Foundem pressed its claim from the beginning. In 2022, PriceRunner in Sweden, financed by Klarn, filed a multibillion-dollar claim after Google’s appeal was thrown out.
UK price comparison business Kelkoo, which is seeking billions of pounds from Google in multiple damages claims following the EU judgment against Google’s shopping service, claimed the additional EU penalty could strengthen continuing claims.“This will have some impact from the DMA decision because it proves that Google is still self-referencing even now,” said Kelkoo CEO Richard Stables to Reuters, adding that the DMA decision offered other companies greater space to suit.
This was repeated by Matej Pardo, chief operating officer at litigation financing business LitFin, which is sponsoring two parties suing Google in Amsterdam over its shopping auctions, demanding over $1 billion combined.“There are a lot of these claims being filed now, and probably more that are (being) prepared,” he said.
Price comparison website Trovaprezzi.it’s parent company Moltiply Group is looking to raise €2.97 billion.
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PCB to observe Breast Cancer Awareness Day during Pakistan v England ODI in Lahore
The PCB has declared that the One Day International between Pakistan and England scheduled to be played on October 25 during the ODI tri-series will be dedicated to breast cancer awareness.
The PCB in a statement said the 4th One Day International match of the tri-nation series between Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka will be dedicated to the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign.
unique events for the Pink Ribbon Campaign will start two hours before the match at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore with the Pakistan cricket team to don a unique pink kit.
Pink stamps will be used during the match and awareness messages will run on the stadium’s big screens and LED boards.
As part of its corporate social responsibility initiatives, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will observe Breast Cancer Awareness Day when the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will turn pink on Sunday, October 25, as Pakistan face England in the fourth ODI of the tri-series involving Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka.
The drive is being conducted as part of Pinktober, the global Breast Cancer Awareness Month, to emphasise the value of early detection, frequent screening and timely treatment, while urging more awareness of the condition across the country.
As part of the initiative, the Pakistan Men’s cricket team will wear specially designed pink kits during the ODI to express sympathy with breast cancer patients and survivors.
England’s cricket team, umpires and commentators will also be encouraged to wear pink ribbons to raise awareness for the cause.
The stumps for the fixture will have a pink logo while messages and graphics for the breast cancer awareness campaign will appear on the stadium’s big screen and LED perimeter boards throughout the match.
Awareness messages will be shared by commentators during the live broadcast to reach audiences across Pakistan and beyond.
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Iran urges US to accept proposal to reopen Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s offer to the US to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days is still on the table, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Iranian media outlets on Sunday.
Iran submitted their proposal in mid-September after an interim ceasefire crumbled. Tehran later confirmed it had received a US response but Iran’s security director stated last week the negotiations were halted because Washington had failed to meet all seven conditions for reopening the strait.Our position is clear and is based on the seven-days plan that we made to the US. “We are studying the remarks made by them, but our offer is still on the table and if there is any honesty on the part of the US, which there isn’t, the way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is obvious,” Araqchi said while in Baghdad for a summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Iran’s demands include the easing of the US blockade on its ports, lifting of US restrictions on its oil exports and ending hostilities on all regional fronts, among other conditions.
If Washington meets Tehran’s criteria, the strait may reopen within six days and discussions could resume the following day, Araqchi added.
A key area of contention has been Washington’s insistence on confronting Iran’s nuclear program right away.
Earlier this month, US Vise President JD Vance said Iran had to scale back its uranium enrichment capabilities in a “meaningful” way to meet US demands and end the countries’ eight-month battle.
The talks should first focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which before the war carried nearly a quarter of the global commerce in oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), and restoring security in the waterway, Tehran believes.
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Bilawal calls for unity against terrorism, says Fazlur Rehman can help end emergency in KP
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called upon political leaders to desist from politicising the battle against terrorism stating Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman can help end the emergency.
“The country’s top priority still is to eliminate terrorism, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the menace continues to pose a serious challenge,” Bilawal said while talking to party members in Karachi on the 19th anniversary of the Karsaz tragedy.
He highlighted that dealing with terrorism must be a serious and effective step and the problem should not become a cause of political debate.
Bilawal remarked that members of Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s party had also died in terrorist strikes, and added that he hoped the JUI-F president would openly condemn the terrorist groups.
Also Read: Bilawal Bhutto says terrorism, violence cannot dent resolve for democracy
“Fight against terrorism should not be turned into a political dispute,” Bilawal said, demanding clear and effective stand against the menace.
Talking about the situation that forced the emergency, the PPP Chairman stated that the chief minister of one province was not ready to face the terrorists and the authorities had no option but to impose the emergency step.
He urged political leaders to focus on fighting terrorism, not the politicisation of counterterrorism.
The JUI-F chief can play a constructive role in attempts to end the emergency, Bilawal remarked.
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