Swedish Court Awards PriceRunner $1.97 Billion in Google Shopping Damages Case
A Swedish court has ordered Alphabet-owned Google to pay approximately $1.5 billion in damages to PriceRunner, the price comparison service owned by Klarna, after finding that Google unfairly favoured its own shopping comparison service in search results. With accrued interest, the total award reaches about $1.97 billion, according to Klarna.
The compensation, equal to roughly 14.3 billion Swedish crowns before interest, marks the largest damages award ever granted in a Swedish competition case. However, it remains well below the 78 billion Swedish crowns that PriceRunner originally sought, including interest.
According to court official Alderman Linda Kullberg, the damages represent the highest award in a Swedish competition case despite PriceRunner not securing the full amount it claimed.
PriceRunner’s Long-Running Claim
PriceRunner filed its lawsuit against Google in 2022, seeking around €2.1 billion in damages. The company argued that Google manipulated search rankings by giving its own comparison shopping service more favourable placement, reducing visibility for competing platforms.
The dispute dates back to 2008, when Google began promoting its own shopping comparison service more prominently within search results. As a result, rival price comparison websites experienced a significant decline in traffic.
Earlier Competition Rulings
The latest judgment follows earlier regulatory action against Google in Europe. In 2017, the European Commission fined the company after concluding that it had used its shopping comparison service to gain an unfair advantage over smaller European competitors.
Google challenged that decision. However, it lost its appeal in 2021, reinforcing the Commission’s findings.
Since then, several businesses affected by Google’s search practices have pursued damages claims against the company.
Although PriceRunner has now secured the largest damages award of its kind, other successful claims have also emerged. Last year, a German court ordered Google to pay about €465 million to price comparison website Idealo and approximately €107 million to another German platform, Producto.
Meanwhile, legal proceedings continue in Britain, where comparison shopping firms including Kelkoo and Foundem are also seeking damages from Google. In Italy, Moltiply Group, which operates the comparison website Trovaprezzi.it, is pursuing a claim worth €2.97 billion.
Google Considers Appeal
Google said it has introduced changes to its shopping advertisements since 2017 and believes those measures support comparison shopping services while encouraging jobs and growth.
The company said it disagrees with the Swedish court’s decision, is reviewing the ruling, and will consider its legal options.
PriceRunner became part of Klarna in 2022. The company sought compensation for profits it claimed to have lost in Britain from 2008 onwards and in Sweden and Denmark from 2013.
Although Klarna welcomed the judgment, it does not expect an immediate payment because Google has the right to appeal. According to Klarna’s counsel, Pontus Scherp, the appeal process could take more than a year and potentially several years.
Following the ruling, Alphabet shares fell about 0.4% in U.S. premarket trading, while Klarna shares rose around 7.5%.
With inputs from Reuters