Google prods UK tribunal to keep new EU rules out of old shopping fight

Google told Britain's Competition Appeal Tribunal that a July European Commission finding against it under the Digital Markets Act cannot settle whether its 2017 shopping search redesign satisfied older antitrust law, in a damages case brought by rivals Kelkoo and Ciao.

The claimants want the tribunal to draw on the July decision, which fined Google $534 million for favoring its own services, arguing it shows the shopping box still gives Google's comparison service privileged treatment. Google counters the newer law imposes different, stricter obligations than traditional antitrust rules and that it remains free to favor its own general search results over competitors like Bing.

The dispute follows a 2017 commission fine of $2.81 billion over the same underlying shopping-search conduct, after which Google let rival services bid for space in its shopping box. The tribunal has yet to rule and left several procedural questions, including one on Brexit-era claims, for later filings due in September and October.

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