Stek will bring a damages action in the Netherlands (covering the EEA) on behalf of publishers that have suffered harm as a result of Google’s anti-competitive conduct in the market for digital advertisement. As established in 2021 by the French Competition Authority, Google abused its dominant position by engaging in various forms of self-preferencing in its advertising tools, also referred to as “Adtech”. This conduct in breach of Article 102 TFEU started in 2014 and caused damage to publishers that lost revenue from the sale of advertisement in the digital space.
Stek is working together with Geradin Partners, that acted for complainants in the French Competition Authority case, with the support of independent economics consultancy Charles River Associates.