Google appeals Swedish Ksh.194B anti-trust award

The July 1 award was one of the biggest made by a court in a European country.

Google's media service told AFP in a message that the group would appeal. Swedish fintech group Klarna, which owns PriceRunner, has said it will also appeal as it believes the award should be higher.

Sweden's Patent and Market Court ruled that Google had abused its position for several years by favouring its own price comparison tool over rivals, including PriceRunner which was bought by Klarna in 2022.

Klarna's chief legal officer Boudien Moerman said Google's appeal had been expected.

But he added in a statement: "PriceRunner has filed an appeal as we believe the July 1 judgment does not fully reflect the damages suffered over many years, despite the court's unequivocal and well-reasoned decision on liability.

"A healthier, more competitive market benefits everyone who shops, and we intend to see this through."

The Swedish group had sought 80 billion kronor ($8.2 billion) in damages, but the court awarded PriceRunner 14.3 billion kronor in damages and 400 million kronor in interest, some $1.5 billion in total.

The Swedish group started legal action in 2022 after the European Union's top court ruled that Google had breached EU competition law by manipulating search results to favour its own price comparison services.