idealo welcomes court decision as a "victory for all of e-commerce and especially for consumers"
In a landmark ruling, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) today upheld the decision by the European Commission that Google, by favoring its own shopping service, has abused its dominant market position and misled consumers. idealo has been closely involved in the process for over a decade through its subsidiary Ladenzeile (formerly Visual Meta), initially as a complainant and subsequently as an intervener, alongside the Federal Republic of Germany, the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), and many other affected companies and business associations.
“Today is a historic day for competition and for consumers across Europe. The European Court of Justice’s ruling demonstrates that our persistent fight for justice and fair market conditions has paid off. This judgment is not only a victory for idealo but for the entire e-commerce sector and particularly for consumers,” commented Albrecht von Sonntag, co-founder and advisory board member of idealo.
The final judgment confirms that Google consciously abused its market power to withhold important offers from consumers and to deliberately disadvantage competitors. Along with other companies, idealo has been fighting against such practices for years, as they destroy both fair competition on the internet and the diversity of offers available to consumers.
With this ruling, there is now a precedent that guarantees more protection against unfair business practices for European companies competing across various sectors against Google. It also serves as a guideline for authorities and courts and strengthens the European Commission in implementing the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which aims to prohibit self-preferencing practices like those of Google from the outset.
Honey Deihimi, Senior Vice President Corporate Affairs at idealo: “The fact that this decision follows a decades-long struggle underscores the importance of clear market rules. Google continues its self-preferencing in shopping and many other of its services, disadvantaging its competitors. There is no functioning compliance mechanism. Therefore, the European Commission’s focus on this issue through the DMA is precisely right. The DMA will protect the interests of consumers and competitors more quickly and efficiently than decades-long legal disputes.”
The judgment also paves the way for the continuation of the damage compensation lawsuit that idealo filed in 2019 at the Berlin Regional Court against Google for abusing its dominant market position.
