Swedish Court Verdict: PriceRunner, a Klarna Unit, Wins About $1.97 Billion in Antitrust Case Against Google

A court in Stockholm ordered Google to pay approximately $1.97 billion in antitrust damages to PriceRunner, a subsidiary of Klarna Group, over conduct in the comparison-shopping market.

Dive Brief: Ruling and Proceeding Updates

• On Wednesday, the Patent and Market Court found competition law violations in online shopping search and directed Google to remit about $1.97 billion to the Swedish price-comparison firm owned by Klarna Group.
• PriceRunner, based in Stockholm and acquired by Klarna in 2022, alleged that Alphabet’s Google leveraged its dominance in general search to elevate its own price-comparison results for more than a decade, according to reports from Bloomberg News and The Wall Street Journal. Klarna is pursuing the claim through its subsidiary PriceRunner, saying the alleged conduct undermined PriceRunner’s ability to compete and limited the reach of the comparison-shopping technology Klarna uses across its product-discovery offerings.
• Google disagreed with the outcome, said it is reviewing the Patent and Market Court decision, and will assess legal options. The judgment from the Market Court in Stockholm is open to appeal.

Dive Insight: Market Impact and Context

Dan Greaves, Klarna’s head of communications and policy, said in a Wednesday press release that the roughly $1.97 billion award advances a fairer, more competitive environment for comparing products and services, benefiting shoppers.

Large private damages rulings can raise the financial stakes for platform self-preferencing and may encourage more follow-on claims after regulator findings.

Klarna, headquartered in London with roots in Stockholm, deploys PriceRunner’s technology for product discovery, reviews, and price comparisons across 12 European markets and the United States.

The company stated that the damages address revenue it believes was lost because Google favored its own comparison-shopping service over independent rivals, a practice it argues also increased consumer costs.

• Sharing arrangements with former PriceRunner shareholders would reduce any proceeds ultimately collected.
• A litigation funder’s share would reduce any proceeds ultimately collected.
• Applicable taxation would reduce any proceeds ultimately collected.
• Klarna said the claim’s size should not be taken as an indicator of likely recovery or settlement.

PriceRunner initiated the litigation in 2022, roughly three months after Google failed to overturn a €2.42 billion ($2.7 billion) antitrust penalty issued in 2017 by the European Commission for advantaging its shopping tools over smaller European competitors.

Outside Sweden, the most prominent comparison-shopping enforcement cited in the case is the European Commission’s 2017 decision, which paired the fine with requirements aimed at stopping Google from favoring its own shopping service in search and at applying comparable treatment to rival comparison-shopping services in Europe. In the United States, Google also faces federal and state antitrust litigation challenging aspects of its search and advertising businesses, with plaintiffs seeking remedies that can range from changes to contracting and product design to broader structural relief depending on court outcomes.

Separate from the Swedish ruling, Google has also resolved some antitrust-related claims through settlements, including a widely reported $135 million settlement. Eligibility typically depends on whether a claimant fits the court-approved class definition in that case, such as meeting the required location criteria and having engaged in the covered transactions during the class period. To seek payment, claimants generally must file a claim with the settlement administrator by the deadline stated in the official notice and provide any requested documentation or account details.

Google also agreed to pay a $700 million antitrust settlement tied to Google Play, resolving allegations that Play Store rules and billing requirements restricted competition and limited consumer choice. The settlement is structured to benefit eligible consumers through payments related to covered Google Play purchases, and it also provides funds to participating states alongside commitments intended to make certain developer distribution and billing options more flexible.

A Google spokesperson said modifications made to its Shopping advertising platform in 2017 are effective and now support hundreds of comparison shopping services across about 1,500 websites in Europe.

Media reports have said PriceRunner originally sought roughly 78 billion Swedish kronor (about $8 billion) from Google in the case.