Google, one of the largest companies globally, provides a wide range of products and services that millions of users rely on every day. Given its size and influence, it’s not unusual for the company to face legal challenges regarding its operations and practices. Recently, Google has made strides to resolve one such challenge by agreeing to a $100 million cash settlement related to a class action lawsuit that has been ongoing for the past 14 years.

The lawsuit dates back to March 2011 when it was filed against Google. It alleged that the company overcharged advertisers, failed to honor promised discounts, and charged for ads clicked by users outside specific geographic areas. Google’s advertising operates on a pay-per-click model, meaning advertisers only pay when a user clicks on their ad to visit their site.

The lawsuit contends that Google improperly charged for clicks that did not fall within the targeted demographic. For instance, a business in the U.S. focusing on American consumers should not incur charges for clicks from users located in Australia, as they do not represent the targeted audience. Furthermore, the lawsuit accused Google of breaching its contract by allegedly manipulating its Smart Pricing formula to reduce discounts unfairly.

The claim also argued that Google misled advertisers by failing to restrict ad distribution to the specified geographic areas, which potentially violates California’s competition law. While it remains uncertain whether Google is guilty of these allegations, the company is choosing to move forward by accepting the settlement. Google clarified that this settlement does not equate to an admission of guilt.

According to spokesman Jose Castaneda, the case addressed ad product features that have been updated more than a decade ago, and the company is pleased to see it resolved. The lengthy duration of the case can be attributed to the substantial amount of evidence collected, including over 910,000 pages of documents and several terabytes of click data, along with numerous mediation sessions involving the advertisers involved in the lawsuit.