Tech giant Google is facing a massive £5 billion lawsuit in the United Kingdom over allegations of abusing its dominance in the online search and advertising markets. The legal claim, filed by competition law expert Or Brook on behalf of thousands of UK businesses, accuses Google of ensuring that its search engine provided better functionality and more features exclusively for its own advertising services to the disadvantage of competitors.
According to the lawsuit, Google’s practices have left businesses with virtually no viable alternative but to rely on its ad platform to promote their products and services. Brook argues that this has stifled competition, harmed innovation, and ultimately raised advertising costs for businesses across the UK.
“This case is about the abuse of a dominant position in the market,” said Brook. “Google created an environment where businesses had almost no choice but to use their ad services if they wanted visibility online.”
Google has dismissed the lawsuit as meritless. “This is yet another speculative and opportunistic case,” said a Google spokesperson. “We will argue against it vigorously. Consumers and advertisers use Google because it is helpful, not because there are no alternatives.”
The case joins a growing list of legal challenges Google is facing globally over alleged anti-competitive practices. Regulators in the United States and European Union have also launched investigations and levied multi-billion-dollar fines over similar issues related to search and digital advertising.
At the core of this UK lawsuit is the claim that Google has unfairly leveraged its dominance in online search to promote its own advertising platform, effectively locking out competition and reducing options for advertisers. Businesses involved in the suit say the imbalance has led to higher prices and less innovation in the market.
If successful, the legal action could have major implications for how tech giants operate in the UK and potentially set a precedent for future cases involving digital monopolies. The case is expected to take months, if not years, to resolve, but it marks another significant step in global efforts to hold dominant tech firms accountable.
