A Swedish court has ordered Google to pay approximately 14,3 billion Swedish kronor, or nearly $1,5 billion, in damages to Klarna following a case involving anti-competitive practices. This ruling marks one of the largest financial penalties awarded in Europe in this type of litigation.
The case originated from a complaint filed by PriceRunner, a price comparison site acquired by Klarna in 2022. The company accused Google of violating competition rules by favoring its own price comparison service in search results, to the detriment of competing platforms.
PriceRunner initially sought approximately 78 billion Swedish kronor in compensation for lost profits in the UK, Sweden, and Denmark. The court ultimately awarded around 14,3 billion kronor, finding that Google had violated antitrust laws, but this amount was significantly less than the claim.
This decision comes several years after European authorities sanctioned Google for similar practices related to its price comparison service. It could encourage other companies to file lawsuits seeking compensation for the harm they believe they have suffered.
The judgment is not yet final. The decision is subject to appeal, and Google has indicated that it intends to pursue all available legal avenues to challenge the ruling. The case could therefore proceed to higher courts before a final decision is reached.
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