Yelp’s complaint outlines how Google initially aimed to direct users from its search page to other websites, which allowed a thriving ecosystem of sites like Yelp to flourish.
However, Yelp alleges that Google, recognizing the profitability of local search, entered the market itself, thereby gaining an unfair advantage.
Yelp is seeking a court order to stop Google from prioritizing its own reviews over those of competitors.
Schur emphasized that Yelp’s main objective is to end Google’s “unlawful self-preferencing,” which he claims harms consumers, stifles competition, and disadvantages businesses that pay for local search advertising.
Yelp has waged a lengthy battle against Google in both the US and the European Union, accusing the company of maintaining an illegal monopoly over the internet search market, particularly by promoting its own reviews over those of its competitors.