Pricerunner accuses tech giant of abusing search dominance to promote its own shopping service.

A Swedish court on Monday began hearing arguments in a multibillion-dollar lawsuit brought by Pricerunner, a Swedish price comparison site owned by fintech company Klarna, against Google.

CBI News reports that the lawsuit seeks over $8 billion in damages, accusing the tech giant of unfairly promoting its own shopping comparison service in search results.

Pricerunner filed the suit in 2022 with the Patent and Market Court in Stockholm, following a European Union General Court ruling that Google violated antitrust laws by manipulating search results in favor of its own services.

Initially, the claim was valued at around $2 billion, but Klarna said the amount has grown significantly, as the alleged violation is ongoing. Klarna, which acquired Pricerunner in 2022, stated that the European Commission had already ruled in 2017 that Google broke competition law, a decision upheld by the European Court of Justice in 2024.

Klarna spokesperson John Craske said Monday the company is seeking approximately 78 billion kronor ($8.3 billion), citing economic analysis of the losses suffered.

He added that the damages "continue to grow daily."

In a statement, Klarna emphasized Google's dominance in the search market, with over 90 percent of searches in Europe passing through its platform.

The company argued that before Google launched its own price comparison service, independent services like Pricerunner appeared more prominently in search results.

Google, according to the court, argues it has not abused its market position since the European Commission’s ruling and denies that Pricerunner suffered any damage. The company has not yet responded publicly to the lawsuit.

The trial is expected to continue through December 19.