
As the US Department of Justice (DOJ) seeks to end Google’s alleged monopoly of the search and ad sector with a lawsuit, Germany’s antitrust watchdog has initiated new steps to regulate the tech giant.
Bundeskartellamt, the German antitrust regulator, has ruled that Google, a division of Alphabet, has “paramount significance across markets.” The decision puts the tech company one step closer to more regulation or even an outright ban, reported PYMNTS.
Last year, an amendment to the German Competition Act passed that can further regulate or even prohibit firms that authorities allege engage in anti-competitive practices. While the ruling was not a surprise, given Google’s dominance, the agency had to take this first step before adopting further measures against the company.
While an outright prohibition of Google is unlikely, the latest step by the German government could lead regulators to implement the most stringent rules against Google or any large digital company found to engage in anti-competitive practices.
Google’s troubles were not just limited to Germany this week. France’s data regulator fined Google and Facebook for failing to make refusing cookies as easy as it is to accept them, a violation of the French Data Protection Act.
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
UK Business Secretary Calls for More Agile Competition Regulator
Feb 13, 2025 by
CPI
Germany’s Antitrust Regulator Raises Concerns Over Apple’s App Tracking Policies
Feb 13, 2025 by
CPI
$60 Billion Nissan-Honda Merger Falls Apart
Feb 13, 2025 by
CPI
DOJ Moves to End Protections for Three Regulatory Agencies
Feb 13, 2025 by
CPI
Meta to Allow Rivals to List Ads on Facebook Marketplace Following EU Fine
Feb 13, 2025 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – International Criminal Enforcement
Jan 23, 2025 by
CPI
The Antitrust Division’s Recent Work to Combat International Cartels
Jan 23, 2025 by
Emma Burnham & Benjamin Christenson
Information Sharing: The New Frontier of U.S. Antitrust Enforcement
Jan 23, 2025 by
Brian P. Quinn, Casey Kovarik & Michael Tubach
The Key Role of Guidelines on Exchanges of Information Among Competitors and the Divergent Transatlantic Paths
Jan 23, 2025 by
Rosa Abrantes-Metz & Albert Metz
Leniency, Whistleblowers, and Compliance
Jan 23, 2025 by
Richard Powers, Tara O’Malley & Cory Gordon