Heureka wins landmark antitrust lawsuit against Google in Czech Republic

The Municipal Court in Prague has issued a landmark first-instance ruling in a competition law dispute between the price comparison service Heureka and Google. The court awarded Heureka compensation for lost profits totaling 250 million CZK due to anti-competitive practices occurring between 2013 and 2017.

Including interest and legal costs, the total amount exceeds 400 million CZK, marking the highest compensation ever awarded by a Czech court in a case involving the enforcement of competition law claims. The dispute centered on the Google Shopping case, where Google was found to have systematically favored its own shopping comparison service in search results to the detriment of competitors.

Heureka Group CEO David Chmelař stated that the decision confirms the company's position and highlights how Google's actions impacted Heureka, other market competitors, and Czech consumers. He emphasized that the ruling serves as a signal that e-commerce must operate under equal conditions for all players.