Google sued for $2.3bn by European media groups over digital ad losses (www.theguardian.com)
from throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to technology@lemmy.world on 29 Feb 2024 00:24
https://lemmy.nz/post/7431481

#technology

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autotldr@lemmings.world on 29 Feb 2024 00:25 next collapse

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Alphabet’s Google was hit with a €2.1bn ($2.3bn) lawsuit by 32 media groups including Axel Springer and Schibsted on Wednesday, alleging that they had suffered losses due to the company’s practices in digital advertising.

The move by the groups – which include publishers in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain and Sweden – comes as antitrust regulators also crack down on Google’s ad-tech business.

“The media companies involved have incurred losses due to a less competitive market, which is a direct result of Google’s misconduct,” a statement issued by their lawyers, Geradin Partners and Stek, said.

“Without Google’s abuse of its dominant position, the media companies would have received significantly higher revenues from advertising and paid lower fees for ad tech services.

“If there is follow through to the regulatory scrutiny, Google may need to curtail its practices and provide more consistent, predicable pricing to its advertising customers,” DA Davidson & Co analyst Gil Luria said.

The lawsuit comes at a time when Google’s core advertising business is facing an existential threat from the shift to generative AI chat, Luria added.


The original article contains 404 words, the summary contains 190 words. Saved 53%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

northendtrooper@lemmy.ca on 29 Feb 2024 01:24 next collapse

When will punishment stop being attached to a hard number and be a percentage of the company’s worth. Shits maddening.

FenrirIII@lemmy.world on 29 Feb 2024 02:04 next collapse

These companies shift gains and losses around so much that they would evade any punishment

paraphrand@lemmy.world on 29 Feb 2024 02:50 next collapse

“As you can see your honor, we actually lost 400 million last year. Negative profit. It looks like you actually owe us money when you calculate the proposed fine…”

muntedcrocodile@lemmy.world on 29 Feb 2024 02:57 collapse

Surly u can make it the value of a percentage of shaires. The primary purpose of any company is the keep the shairholders happy either pay ur fines or fail ur primary purpose.

Khanzarate@lemmy.world on 29 Feb 2024 03:12 next collapse

While I’d love a percentage based fee, this is a damages suit, so it should be actual damages these people are owed, as determined by the court. A percentage just doesn’t make sense here unless punitive damages were also on the table.

In principle I agree, though, breaking the law should not be an affordable “cost of doing business”.

mods_are_assholes@lemmy.world on 29 Feb 2024 10:21 collapse

Are you basically saying ‘When will corporations stop profit seeking?’

Because the answer to that is ‘never by choice’.

GiveMemes@jlai.lu on 29 Feb 2024 12:34 collapse

No. Not at all. That’s not what he said and only tangentially related. I expect a re-read and full write up by morning young man :p

mods_are_assholes@lemmy.world on 29 Feb 2024 12:46 collapse

I don’t even care you are being sarcastic, blocked.

GiveMemes@jlai.lu on 29 Feb 2024 12:54 collapse

Enjoy being an ignorant and poorly comprehending prick instead of taking a joke ig

Seventhlevin@lemmy.world on 29 Feb 2024 13:23 collapse

LMFAO that was easily the funniest exchange I’ve seen on lemmy

FunkPhenomenon@lemmy.zip on 29 Feb 2024 03:40 next collapse

how is it google’s fault that some companies cant compete in an evolving market?

mods_are_assholes@lemmy.world on 29 Feb 2024 10:22 collapse

… read the fucking article for once… Google’s been cooking the numbers for a while now.

MonkderZweite@feddit.ch on 29 Feb 2024 09:05 next collapse

Yikes, Axel Springer. Sharks sue a shark.

lightnegative@lemmy.world on 29 Feb 2024 09:24 next collapse

Oh no, our ads didn’t work as well as we wanted them to!

Anyway…

mods_are_assholes@lemmy.world on 29 Feb 2024 10:20 collapse

Oh it’s much worse than that, google’s been caught fudging the numbers several times and that has led to this.

Look I hate corporations more than most of you but if Google has a stipulation in their ad contract that x% are real human eyes and then count 1px embedded ads as ‘human eyes’, then Google is in violation of their ad contract. On TOP of that they lied about it as well.

brlemworld@lemmy.world on 29 Feb 2024 14:40 next collapse

Let them eat cereal

Aopen@discuss.tchncs.de on 29 Feb 2024 15:04 collapse

The lawsuit comes at a time when Google’s core advertising business is facing an existential threat from the shift to generative AI chat, Luria added.

Is this BS or I dont understand something? In what way generative AI is currently an existential threat to online advertising?