Google ordered to pay $1.5 billion to PriceRunner in Swedish antitrust rulingA Swedish court ruled on Wednesday that Alphabet Inc.'s Google must pay 14.3 billion Swedish crowns (about $1.5 billion) in antitrust damages to PriceRunner, the price comparison platform owned by Klarna."PriceRunner is considered to have suffered damage as a ⁠result of ‌Google having illegally favoured its price ⁠comparison service for many years," the Stockholm Patent and Market Court said in a statement, as cited by Reuters. In 2022, PriceRunner sued Google for around €2.1 billion ($2.4 billion), alleging the company breached antitrust laws by favouring its own comparison shopping services in search results.In its ruling on Wednesday, the Patent and Market Court in Stockholm rejected most of PriceRunner's claims but awarded the company 14.3 billion Swedish crowns (about $1.5 billion) in damages, following the European Union's antitrust findings against Google's abuse of market dominance.The ruling can be appealed.PriceRunner argued that Google had abused its dominant position in online search for more than a decade by giving preferential treatment to its own comparison shopping service over rival platforms, as cited by Bloomberg.Following the judgment, Klarna said the damages awarded on Wednesday compensate PriceRunner for revenue lost due to Google's preferential treatment of its own comparison shopping service, adding that the practice also increased costs for consumers.“When markets work well, everyone benefits. Consumers get higher quality at lower cost, companies stay focused on serving customers rather than defending position, and society is better off for it,” Dan Greaves, Klarna’s head of communications and policy was quoted as saying by Bloomberg. The case stems from the European Commission's 2017 decision to fine Google €2.4 billion for abusing its dominance in online search by giving preferential treatment to its own comparison shopping service. The decision triggered a series of follow-on lawsuits across Europe, many of which were delayed while Google challenged the penalty.In 2024, the EU's top court upheld the Commission's ruling, confirming that Google had violated antitrust laws. The decision removed the need for EU-based plaintiffs to prove the violation again in related damages claims.Last year, a court in Berlin ordered Google to pay €573 million in damages to two German price-comparison websites, a ruling the company has appealed. Similar cases remain pending in other European countries.