Mon Oct 28 20:40:11 UTC 2024: ## Google Fined Record £2.4 Billion for Market Abuse in 15-Year Legal Battle

A UK couple, Shivaun and Adam Raff, have finally won a landmark legal battle against Google, securing a record £2.4 billion fine against the tech giant for market abuse. The couple, founders of the price comparison website “Foundem,” launched their business in 2006. However, their website’s visibility plummeted on Google searches shortly after launch, effectively crippling their business.

The Raffs discovered Google’s automated spam filters had unfairly penalized their site, hindering its ability to generate revenue. Despite repeated attempts to resolve the issue, Google refused to lift the penalty, leading Foundem to suffer significant traffic losses.

The couple’s case gained momentum in 2010 after approaching the European Commission. Following a lengthy antitrust investigation, the Commission concluded in 2017 that Google had abused its market dominance by promoting its own shopping service at the expense of competitors like Foundem. A record £2.4 billion fine was imposed.

Google contested the ruling, leading to a seven-year legal battle. However, the European Court of Justice finally upheld the fine in 2024, rejecting Google’s appeals.

While the Raffs expressed relief at the outcome, they acknowledge the toll of their 15-year fight. “We’ve both been brought up maybe under the delusion that we can make a difference, and we really don’t like bullies,” said Ms Shivaun.

Google, however, maintains that the fine addresses practices that ended in 2017. “The changes we made in 2017 to comply with the European Commission’s Shopping decision have worked successfully for more than seven years, generating billions of clicks for more than 800 comparison shopping services,” said a Google spokesperson.

Despite the victory, Foundem was forced to close in 2016. The Raffs are currently pursuing a civil damages claim against Google, set for trial in 2026. Mr Adam admitted, “If we had known it would take this long, we might have thought twice.”

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