The Brussels Court of Appeal has ruled that Google does not have to pay a penalty of €76 million to the Belgian advertising company Proxistore after all.
Last year, Google was ordered to pay €76 million to Proxistore because it had "unilaterally and without cause" blocked a number of the company's advertising campaigns.
The American corporation challenged the decision on various fronts, but Proxistore did succeed in obtaining a precautionary attachment of €76 million from Google.
On appeal, Google has now been relieved of the penalty payment, according to a judicial source. Google maintained that it was responding to repeatedly late payments.
According to the Court, Proxistore was aware that Google could temporarily suspend services in the event of late payment. Therefore, there was no question of anti-competitive practices, the court stated.
As a result, the court sided with the American internet giant and overturned the decision of the Nivelles court. Belgian online advertising startup Proxistore denounced an "unfair" trial.
"In cases of this importance, every day counts. This anticipation deprives the parties of a crucial window during which transactional discussions can emerge, as is often the case in matters like ours," the advertising startup said in a statement.
According to the Court of Appeal, there was "no urgency" in reconnecting Proxistore's services, contrary to the ruling of the President of the Nivelles Commercial Court in June 2025 and contrary to what was acknowledged in several emails from Google sent to Proxistore, the startup further argues.
The company warned that it will file an appeal and, if that proves insufficient, appear before the European Court of Human Rights for having been "the victim of an unfair trial."
