A French court has ordered Google to pay €126 million in damages to a number of media organisations, including the newspaper Le Figaro and the Prisma group, after finding the company guilty of anti-competitive practices in the digital advertising market, according to a source familiar with the case, confirming what was reported by the specialist platform Mind Media.
According to details of the ruling issued by the Paris Commercial Court, Prisma Media group was awarded €61 million in compensation, while Le Figaro was granted €26 million, the Lequipe-Le Parisien group €11.5 million, and the video platform Dailymotion €27.5 million. The parties had initially sought a combined total of €570 million in damages.
The American tech giant has not yet decided whether to appeal the four rulings, a spokesperson told Agence France-Presse.
"We disagree with the court's decisions. These compensation claims are based on incorrect interpretations of the ad tech sector, which is highly competitive and evolving at a rapid pace," the spokesperson said. Mind Media quoted Le Figaro group chief executive Marc Feuillée as saying: "With the earlier rulings in favour of Rossel, L'Equipe and M6, a legal precedent has now been established in this matter."