Google Ordered to Pay $1.97 Billion in Landmark EU Antitrust Ruling by Swedish Court

The Swedish Court Ruling (July 1, 2026)

On July 1, 2026, the Patent and Market Court in Stockholm ordered Google (Alphabet Inc.) to pay 14.3 billion Swedish kronor in antitrust damages to PriceRunner, the price comparison site owned by fintech company Klarna. The award amount is reported as $1.97 billion in Klarna's own press release and approximately €1.7 billion by Euronews, though Reuters and other outlets report it as roughly $1.5 billion depending on the conversion rate used . The court found that "PriceRunner is considered to have suffered damage as a result of Google having violated EU antitrust rules" through the preferential promotion of its own Google Shopping service in search results .

Background of the Case

EU foundation: The case built on the European Commission's 2017 abuse-of-dominance finding, which ruled that Google illegally favored its own shopping comparison service over rival services in search results. The EU Court of Justice later upheld that finding, meaning the liability question was already settled before PriceRunner's damages trial began .

Initial lawsuit (February 2022): PriceRunner filed its lawsuit seeking €2.1 billion (about 22 billion kronor) at the Patent and Market Court, alleging Google systematically demoted independent price comparison services while promoting Google Shopping .

Expanded claim: By the time the trial began, PriceRunner had substantially increased its damages claim to SEK 77 billion (approximately $8.3 billion), seeking compensation for lost profits in Sweden, the UK, and Denmark .

Trial (October–December 2025): The trial ran from October 17, 2025 through December 5, 2025, with the court hearing arguments on the quantum of damages since Google's liability was already established by EU law .

Multiple verdict delays: The ruling was originally scheduled for April 15, 2026, then pushed to June 26, 2026, and finally moved to July 1, 2026 .

The Broader European Context

The Swedish ruling is part of a wave of follow-on damages actions across Europe:

German court ruling (November 2025): A Berlin court ordered Google to pay a total of €572 million to two German price comparison companies: Idealo (Axel Springer SE-owned) was awarded approximately €374 million plus €91 million in interest, and Producto GmbH received €89.7 million plus €17.7 million in interest, though Idealo had originally sought €3.3 billion .

Pending claims across Europe: Roughly €12 billion in total claims are pending across at least seven European countries, with comparator companies in the UK, Netherlands, France, and elsewhere pursuing their own follow-on damages actions against Google based on the same EU antitrust infringement .

Post-Judgment Outlook

Appeal: The judgment is subject to appeal. Google has stated it is considering its legal options, and the ruling will not become enforceable until all appeal avenues are exhausted .

Revenue-sharing arrangements: Under the terms of PriceRunner's acquisition by Klarna, former PriceRunner shareholders are entitled to a share of any damages recovered. Additionally, Nivalion, the litigation funder that backed the case, holds an economic interest in the proceeds. Per Klarna's disclosures, portions of any net recovery (after legal costs) will flow to these parties under pre-existing agreements .

Taxation: The award will be subject to applicable corporate income tax in Sweden. Klarna's press release noted that the net benefit to Klarna Group will be reduced by tax liabilities and the contractual shares owed to former shareholders and Nivalion .

Timeline: Klarna has warned investors that a final resolution could take years, as Google is expected to appeal to higher Swedish courts, and potentially to the European Court of Justice, drawing out the process considerably .