LeBonCoin to Participate in Multi-Business, €1Bn Lawsuit Against Google

French horizontal marketplace LeBonCoin (owned by Adevinta) is one of seven media groups based in France set to sue Google for its monopolization of advertising services.

The seven groups comprise 22 companies that will sue Google for more than €1 billion ($1.1 billion) amid the internet giant's ongoing legal troubles surrounding accusations of anti-competitive behaviours in the United States, United Kingdom and the European Union.

Alongside Adevinta, plaintiffs in France include Le Figaro and L’Équipe, with some initial hearings taking place in September.

Google is under fire from the US Department of Justice for engaging in monopolistic behaviour by acquiring certain companies and controlling the AdTech industry's most popular tools as far back as 2008 when it acquired advertising company DoubleClick. If the DoJ successfully argues that Google purposefully manipulated the online advertising market, Google would risk being broken up by regulators.

The French competition watchdog previously fined Google €220 million in June 2021 for similar offences, with Figaro CEO Feuillee on the record saying:

"Google has clearly been found guilty of anti-competitive behaviour. The French competition authority has stated that Google has for years favoured its own solutions to the detriment of those of its competitor."

Google's parent company Alphabet showed that revenues from Google Services (primarily ads) hit $73.9 billion in Q2 2024—the vast majority of total revenues ($84.7 billion).

Shares in Alphabet (GOOGL on NASDAQ) hit an all-time high in July 2024, reaching $191 per share, but have since settled at circa $162.