Announcements — 12/12/2024

Dr Or Brook to file multi-billion pound damages action against Google on behalf of UK search advertisers 

Dr Or Brook and Geradin Partners have today announced that they will file a UK opt-out competition damages claim on behalf of UK-domiciled advertisers who have used search advertising services provided by Google. The claim, estimated to be worth over £5bn, will focus on anticompetitive conduct by Google which has harmed UK advertisers and will be filed shortly in the Competition Appeal Tribunal, the UK’s specialist competition court. Dr Or Brook and Geradin Partners have secured funding from Burford Capital, the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law. 

Dr Brook, a leading competition law academic at the University of Leeds law school, will bring the damages action on behalf of UK advertisers which have used search advertising services provided by Google. She has retained a team composed of Geradin Partners, which has significant expertise in the online advertising space already, Robert O’Donoghue KC (Brick Court), Kieron Beal KC (Blackstone Chambers), Daniel Carrall-Green (Fountain Court), and Fiona Scott Morton, Theodore Nierenberg Professor of Economics at the Yale School of Management, all of whom will also bring significant experience to the case. 

Google’s abuse of its dominant positions on the markets for general search services and general search text advertising has come under scrutiny by courts and regulators in the UK, Europe and the United States. Google’s conduct significantly harmed companies that advertise their products on online search results pages. Google did so by engaging in anticompetitive practices that excluded its rivals and ensured its default position in general search, which allowed it to charge supra-competitive prices to advertisers for search advertising. 

Dr Brook said: “Google has adopted a deliberate strategy to maintain its dominance in online search through a range of anticompetitive behaviours aimed at excluding its rivals, to the severe detriment of advertisers. I am bringing this litigation to ensure that advertisers in the UK are given the opportunity to be compensated for the harm they have suffered at Google’s hands as a result of these unfair practices.” 

Founding Partner of Geradin Partners, Damien Geradin, said: “Google has eliminated rivals on the general search services and general search text advertising markets through a variety of exclusionary practices, which has led UK-domiciled advertisers to be overcharged by billions of pounds. We are committed and well-resourced to obtain redress on their behalf.” 

Contacts : 

Damien Geradin: dgeradin@geradinpartners.com 

David Gallagher: dgallagher@geradinpartners.com

Patrick Teague: pteague@geradinpartners.com 

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Damien Geradin

(+32) 471 17 95 25

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