Google ordered to pay PriceRunner damages in Swedish antitrust ruling

A Swedish court has ordered Google to pay PriceRunner 14.3 billion kronor in damages after finding that the search company favored its own shopping service over the comparison site in search results.

The ruling, from Sweden’s Patent and Market Court in Stockholm, is one of the largest competition awards ever issued in the country. With interest, reporting said the total could rise to about 19 billion kronor.

PriceRunner had sought 77 billion kronor in damages. The court’s decision is a major financial win for the company, which is owned by Klarna.

What the court decided

Coverage of the ruling said the court found Google had unfairly advantaged its own price-comparison product. The case centers on claims that Google steered users toward its own shopping service at the expense of rival comparison sites.

The judge cited in reporting was Linda Kullberg. News reports described the award as Sweden’s largest damages payment in a competition case.

Why the case matters

The dispute is tied to a broader European antitrust backdrop that began with the European Commission’s 2017 case against Google’s shopping service. PriceRunner argued that the harm continued for years, and the Swedish court’s ruling appears to accept at least part of that argument.

Klarna completed its acquisition of PriceRunner in 2022, making the ruling relevant not only to PriceRunner’s owners but also to Klarna’s broader financial position.

Reactions from Google and Klarna

Klarna welcomed the judgment. Company communications chief Dan Greaves said the ruling was good for consumers and for a more competitive market for comparing products and services.

Google said it did not agree with the court’s decision and was considering its legal options. Reporting cited an appeal deadline of July 22, leaving open the possibility that the case will move into a new round of litigation.

What happens next

The immediate question is whether Google will appeal before the deadline. If it does, the payout could be delayed or reduced depending on how the case develops.

The ruling also matters beyond the direct damages award. It could influence how courts and regulators evaluate self-preferencing claims against large search platforms in Europe, where Google has already faced repeated antitrust scrutiny.

For now, the judgment gives PriceRunner a major legal victory and puts a multibillion-kronor liability on Google, but the final outcome is still not settled.