Kanada w starciu z Google. Rekordowa kara dla firmy, a urząd antymonopolowy zaskarża w sądzie.

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Canadian Competition Bureau’s Action Against Google

The Canadian Competition Bureau announced on Thursday that it has approached the court to compel Google to sell two of its online advertising tools and impose a substantial financial penalty on the company for exploiting its dominant position in the market.

Legal Proceedings

The application in this matter was submitted to the Competition Tribunal, a court responsible for resolving competition-related issues in Canada. Following an investigation initiated in 2021, the Competition Bureau accused Google of abusing its market dominance as the largest provider of internet advertising technology. The company allegedly coerced other companies to use its digital advertising technologies and hindered them from using competing offers. In the authority’s opinion, this behavior led to a restriction of competition, created obstacles for innovation, and increased costs for companies.

„Google’s actions prevented rivals from competing based on the quality of their offerings, to the detriment of advertisers, publishers, and Canadian consumers. We are bringing the case before the tribunal to end this conduct and its harmful effects in Canada,”

Matthew Boswell, Commissioner of Competition, emphasized in a press release.

Google’s Advertising Tools in Question

The Bureau noted that Google owns the four most important internet advertising tools in Canada: DoubleClick for Publishers, AdX, Display & Video 360, and Google Ads. It is demanding that the tribunal orders the company to sell two of these tools, prohibits practices that hinder competition, and imposes a high financial penalty on Google. This penalty is specified as triple the profits from anti-competitive practices, or if this amount cannot be calculated, 3% of Google’s global revenues.

Google’s Global Influence and Lawsuits

• According to Statista.com, the parent company Alphabet reported revenues of $307.39 billion last year, with Google’s share being $305.63 billion.
• Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a court application demanding Google’s sale of the Chrome browser and the release of data to competitors to curb the company’s monopoly on the internet search market.

1. Google currently controls approximately 90% of the search market and 95% on mobile devices.
2. Prosecutors have also demanded the sale of the Android operating system.
3. In addition, they have called for the termination of exclusivity agreements under which Google pays device manufacturers to set Chrome as the default search engine.

From Toronto, Anna Lach

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