Yelp Celebrates “Step Toward Accountability”
Yelp’s general counsel Aaron Schur hailed the decision as a “positive step toward holding Google accountable for its illegal exclusionary conduct.”
“We look forward to detailing how Google’s monopoly harms consumers and innovation,” Schur said, emphasizing that Google’s local search dominance limits competition from platforms like Yelp that rely on organic visibility.
Google Faces Renewed Antitrust Scrutiny
Yelp originally filed the lawsuit in August, alleging Google has monopolized the local search and advertising markets by prioritizing its own products — such as Google Maps — over competitors. The complaint builds on years of tension between the two tech giants, dating back to Yelp’s 2014 petition to EU regulators, which helped lead to a €2.4 billion fine against Google for similar conduct in Europe.
While Google’s attorneys argued the case was outdated and duplicative, Judge van Keulen disagreed, noting that recent algorithmic and design shifts kept the alleged conduct “alive and ongoing.”
Representatives for Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.
