June 2024 – On 10 June 2024, the Turkish Competition Authority (the “Authority”) announced its latest decision on Google. With this decision, the Authority has imposed a total administrative fine on Google of TRY 482 million (approximately USD 14.9 million).
Background
In 2021, the Authority fined Google TRY 296 million (approximately USD 9.2 million) due to the company’s violation of Turkish Competition Law in the “local search services” market. The violations included:
- giving its own local search (Local Unit) and accommodation price comparison (Google Hotel Ads-GHA) services an advantage over its competitors in terms of position and display on the general search results page;
- preventing competitor local search sites from entering the Local Unit; and
- hindering competitors’ operations and distorting competition in the local search services and accommodation price comparison services markets.
To remedy these violations and establish effective market competition, the Authority mandated that Google provide conditions ensuring competing local search and accommodation price comparison services are not disadvantaged compared to Google's own relevant services.
Recent developments
Google submitted its proposed remedies, including new designs for local search services. However, the Authority found that these were not implemented for hotel queries. Consequently, on 16 May 2024, the Authority decided that Google will be subject to an administrative fine of 0.05% per day of its gross revenues for the year 2023, starting from 15 April 2024 until Google fulfilled its obligations.
Conclusion
The Authority confirmed that Google met its obligations with respect to the local search service for hotel queries, completing the process on 21 May 2024.
As a result, the daily administrative fine on Google was ceased and Google was fined TRY 186 million (approximately USD 5.7 million) for the period from 15 April 2024 to 21 May 2024.