Google Faces Antitrust Lawsuit From Polish eCommerce Platform

Google is facing a $567 million lawsuit from an arm of Polish eCommerce platform Allegro.

That company, Ceneo, filed the suit against the tech giant on Monday (Dec. 23), Reuters reported. Ceneo alleges it suffered losses due what it says is Google’s practice of favoring its price comparison service in browser results over Ceneo’s own service.

A Google spokesperson told Reuters the company disagreed with the lawsuit and was considering its options.

“Our Shopping remedy has been working successfully for several years and we continue to invest in formats that support brands, retailers and comparison shopping sites of all sizes across Poland and Europe,” the company said.

According to Reuters, the suit is connected to the $2.7 billion antitrust fine imposed on Google by the European Union, which accused the company of using its status as the world’s biggest search engine to gain an unfair edge over smaller European competitors in the price comparison shopping service market.

The suit in Poland came days after Google proposed a plan aimed at addressing a U.S. antitrust ruling in a bid to avoid the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) plan to make the company sell its Chrome browser.

The DOJ maintains that forcing Google to sell Chrome would create a more equitable search engine market, and “will permanently stop Google’s control of this critical search access point and allow rival search engines the ability to access the browser that for many users is a gateway to the internet.”

Google has called the DOJ’s plan too drastic, and is instead proposing making agreements with other companies non-exclusive, unbundling its Play Store from Chrome and search, and allowing browser developers who agree to set its search engine as the default revisit that decision each year.

“For over two decades, Google has reigned supreme as the global leader in online search, commanding a market share of over 90% in many regions,” PYMNTS wrote last month after the DOJ called for Google to be broken up.

“However, a shifting technological landscape, coupled with emerging challengers, is setting the stage for intensified competition. From alternative search engines and AI-powered platforms to growing consumer concerns over privacy, Google faces a more dynamic and competitive market than ever before,” the report added.