Hogan Lovells successfully assists Google in Italian Google Shopping case

Hogan Lovells successfully assists Google in Italian Google Shopping case

Press releases | 25 January 2021

25 January 2021, Milan – Global law firm Hogan Lovells has successfully assisted Google in the first Italian proceedings of the Google Shopping case. The case began with a claim under Article 696-bis of the Italian Code of Civil Procedure by 7Pixel, a subsidiary of the MutuiOnline group and owner of the "trovaprezzi.it" price comparison service. The claimant sought damages in the amount of 800 - 900 million euro on the basis of the European Commission's Google Shopping decision.

In its decision, which is not subject to appeal, the Court of Milan dismissed 7Pixel's claims in full. The Court held that the alleged issues, including abuse of dominance, are complex, and that the ruling of the Commission does not exempt 7Pixel from the burden of proof regarding the actual damage and causal link, which should be dealt with as part of an ordinary proceedings, ensuring that the parties are able to fully defend and present their arguments.

The Hogan Lovells team in Italy, who worked closely with Google's in-house counsel, included Alberto Bellan, Marco Berliri, Massimiliano Masnada and Michele Traversa, supported by Christopher Thomas and Alexandra Bray from the Hogan Lovells Brussels office.