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The essentials at a glance
What does participation cost?
Nothing. You incur no costs — including legal fees, economic expert fees or court fees — even if the claim is unsuccessful. unilegion fully funds the class action and receives a commission on the proceeds only if the claim succeeds.
What commission does unilegion charge?
The commission is a percentage of the proceeds actually recovered and is based on the value of your claim: the larger your claim, the lower the percentage. All participants also benefit from a reduction as the initiative grows, because the costs are then spread across more participants. The exact rates are set out transparently in the participation agreement before you decide whether to join.
Who can participate?
Publishers based in the EU — operators of websites or apps that sold ad inventory programmatically, particularly through Google systems such as Google Ad Manager (formerly “DoubleClick for Publishers”) or the AdX ad exchange (AdSense excluded). Smaller publishers may also participate: the commission structure is deliberately designed to make participation attractive for them too.
What records will I need?
Records of your programmatic advertising revenue and the fees paid to Google, such as reports from Google Ad Manager or billing statements. Ideally, the records should cover the entire period of the infringement. You do not need to prepare anything complex: we will tell you exactly which records are sufficient and help you export the relevant data.
Will I have to go to court myself?
No. Participants assign their claims to a purpose-built litigation vehicle, which is the sole claimant and brings the proceedings in its own name. You will not conduct any proceedings yourself.
Could participating affect my business relationship with Google?
There is virtually no such risk. Because the litigation vehicle, rather than you, brings the proceedings, you do not appear as a claimant against Google. Given the large number of participating publishers, retaliation is not a realistic prospect — and would itself constitute a further competition law infringement, exposing Google to sanctions by the competition authorities.
How long will the proceedings take?
Experience shows that competition damages proceedings take several years. Germany is, however, among Europe’s faster venues, and a settlement can be reached at any time before judgment. Throughout the proceedings, you have no work to do: unilegion conducts and manages the case. In addition, interest continues to accrue on the damages throughout the proceedings, at a comparatively high rate.
What happens if the action is lost?
Then you pay nothing. unilegion bears all financial risk. That is exactly what ‘no financial risk’ means: you will not have to pay anything under any circumstances.
What happens to my data?
We use your information solely to process your registration and assess your claims, in accordance with the GDPR. This website uses no cookies and no tracking tools.
