Belgian startup Proxistore, which specialises in online geolocalised advertising, has won a significant legal victory against Google. The Belgian court ruled that Google must pay Proxistore €76 million in fines, calculated at one million euros for each hour that its advertising platforms were blocked an interruption that lasted 76 hours in February. This blockage prevented Proxistore from running crucial advertising campaigns for its clients, forcing the company to reimburse and compensate them.
The court’s decision mandates that the sum be frozen in the Citibank account of Google Ireland Limited, the European parent company based in Dublin. Proxistore’s CEO, Bruno Van Boucq, expressed relief at the ruling, emphasizing the severe impact on his business and the 200 clients affected by the service disruption.
This ruling is the latest development in a protracted seven-year legal battle between Proxistore and Google. Google has argued that Proxistore failed to pay its invoices on time a claim which Van Boucq denies, stating that all invoices were settled. The dispute intensifies amid broader legal challenges for Google, including a pending Brussels prosecutor's investigation into potential forgery in a related patent case and a recent three-year ban by the French Competition Authority on some of Google’s advertising tools.
Despite the ruling, Irish authorities have yet to acknowledge receipt of the court order, raising concerns from Proxistore about Ireland’s responsiveness, especially as it hosts the European headquarters of major US tech firms. Van Boucq has urged swift action from Irish officials to implement the Belgian decision, ensuring that the €76 million is secured and eventually paid to Proxistore within fourteen days if no valid appeal is lodged.
