Google faces £5 billion lawsuit in UK over alleged abuse of search market dominance

Google is facing a claim for up to £5 billion ($6.6 billion) in potential damages in the United Kingdom, following allegations that the US technology giant exploited its “near-total dominance” of the online search market to inflate prices.

A class action lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal, alleges that Google abused its position by restricting rival search engines, thereby reinforcing its dominant market status and making itself the only realistic option for online search advertising.

The claim is being brought by…