EU v Google: AdSense

Case Study

Google LLC, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., provides a service that allows advertisers to bid for ad placements on publishers' websites. To access this service, Google included clauses in its contracts that restricted publishers from displaying ads from competing services. In May 2021, the European Commission imposed a fine on Google for these contractual practices. However, in September 2024, the European General Court overturned the fine, stating that the Commission failed to adequately evaluate the anti-competitive effects of the contracts.