Yelp has filed a lawsuit against Google, accusing the tech giant of leveraging its dominance in the internet search market to gain an unfair advantage in the advertising industry.
The lawsuit, filed in a San Francisco court, comes on the heels of a recent ruling that deemed Google a “monopolist” and found the company to be in violation of antitrust law. Yelp’s complaint alleges that Google manipulates search results to promote its own services, stifling competition and preventing users from accessing rival websites.
According to Yelp, Google’s actions are designed to keep users within its own ecosystem, rather than allowing them to explore alternative options. “Google abuses its monopoly power in general search to keep users within Google’s owned ecosystem and prevents them from going to rival sites,” the company stated in a blog post.
Google has pushed back against the allegations, calling Yelp’s claims “not new” and “meritless.” The company pointed out that similar claims had been previously dismissed by the Federal Trade Commission and a judge in a separate case involving the Department of Justice. Google plans to appeal the recent antitrust decision and will “vigorously defend” against Yelp’s lawsuit.
Yelp’s complaint highlights the company’s concerns about Google’s review system, which it claims is inferior to its own and those of other services. The lawsuit notes that Google’s late entry into the local search market has hindered its ability to develop a high-quality service, leaving it at a disadvantage compared to Yelp and other local search platforms.
