Google facing $4.2 billion advertising lawsuit in UK

San Francisco: A new lawsuit has been filed against Google seeking 3.4 billion pounds ($4.2 billion) in compensation for publishers for lost revenue.

According to the claim, made by ex-Guardian technology editor Charles Arthur, Google illegally used its dominant position in online advertising to reduce publishers' profits, the BBC reported.

Google stated that it would vigorously oppose the "speculative and opportunistic" action.

In the lawsuit, Arthur claimed that because of Google's abuse of its position, ad-tech services were inflated, and publishers' ad sales revenues were unlawfully reduced, the report said. "The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently investigating Google's anti-competitive conduct in ad-tech, but they don't have the power to make Google compensate those who have lost out. We can only right that wrong through the courts, which is why I am bringing this claim," Arthur was quoted as saying.

It is the second such lawsuit, following a similar one filed in November last year. The claim was brought by former UK's communications regulator Ofcom director Claudio Pollack, who is seeking damages of up to 13.6 billion pounds from Google, the report mentioned.

Meanwhile, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal in India has said that Google will have to pay the fine of Rs 1,337.76 crore, imposed on it by the Competition Commission of India (CCI). The CCI had, on October 30, 2022, imposed a fine of Rs 1,337.76 crore on Google for anti-competitive practices in relation to Android mobile devices.