Google faces £5 billion lawsuit in the UK for abusing 'near-total dominance' in search

LONDON — Google is being sued for £5 billion ($6.6 billion) in potential damages in the U.K. over allegations that the U.S. tech giant abused its "near-total dominance" in the online search market to drive up prices. A class action lawsuit filed Wednesday in the U.K. Competition Appeal Tribunal claims that Google abused its position to restrict competing search engines and, in turn, bolster its dominant position in the market and make itself the only viable destination for online search advertising. It is being brought by competition law academic Or Brook on behalf of hundreds of thousands of U.K.-based organizations that used Google's search advertising services from Jan. 1, 2011, up until when the claim was filed. She is being represented by law firm Geradin Partners. "Today, UK businesses and organisations, big or small, have almost no choice but to use Google ads to advertise their products and services," Brook said in a statement Tuesday. "Regulators around the world have descr ... Read full article.