The legal battle between Google and Russian media companies has escalated, with claims against the tech giant now totaling an astronomical $20 decillion, the RBC news website reported Tuesday, citing an anonymous source familiar with court rulings against the tech company. To put that into perspective, the World Bank estimates global GDP as around $100 trillion, which is peanuts compared to the prospective fine, accumulating over a four-year legal battle, and could potentially increase further.
The dispute began in 2020 when YouTube, owned by Google, blocked the accounts of Tsargrad TV and RIA FAN due to violations of sanctions legislation. Following Russia’s military actions in Ukraine in 2022, YouTube expanded its bans to include other state-affiliated channels such as Sputnik, NTV, and Russia 24. In response, 17 Russian TV channels, including Zvezda and Channel One, have filed lawsuits demanding the restoration of their accounts and imposing fines for non-compliance.
According to lawyer Ivan Morozov, Google was held liable under Article 13.41 of the Administrative Offenses Code for removing channels from YouTube. The court ordered Google to restore these channels and imposed a fine of 100,000 rubles ($1,025) per day, with the total fine doubling weekly due to compound interest.
The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) of Russia found Google in violation of competition laws for its actions and initially fined the company 2 billion rubles, later increasing it to 4 billion rubles due to non-payment. Google partially settled with Tsargrad, paying 1 billion rubles.
In June 2022, Google LLC, the company’s Russian entity, filed for bankruptcy, citing debts exceeding 19 billion rubles against assets worth 3.5 billion rubles. The Supreme Court confirmed Tsargrad’s claim of 32.7 billion rubles, making it a priority creditor.
Efforts to enforce Russian court decisions have extended internationally, with Russian media seeking asset seizures in countries like Turkey, Hungary, Spain, and South Africa. In June, South Africa’s High Court approved the seizure of Google’s assets after the company failed to comply with a Moscow court order.
In response, Google has filed lawsuits in the US and UK courts against Russian TV channels, seeking to prevent them from pursuing legal actions outside Russia. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, acknowledged these ongoing legal challenges in its Q2 2024 report but stated that it does not expect them to have a material adverse effect on its business.
