Hungarian Competition Authority Clears Google in Lyric Card Investigation

The Hungarian Competition Authority (HCA) has announced the closure of its competition supervision proceeding against Google, initially launched in June 2021. The investigation examined whether the company abused its dominant market position through its lyric card service, which displays song lyrics directly within search results. The key question was whether this feature unfairly promoted Google’s own service over competitors, potentially distorting market competition.

Following an in-depth analysis, the HCA found no evidence of antitrust violations. The investigation assessed the impact of the lyric card’s introduction and operation, concluding that Google's service was designed to provide accurate answers efficiently while reducing users’ search time. The HCA did not establish a causal link between the introduction of the lyric card and a decline in traffic to competing websites. On the contrary, some competitors actually experienced increased revenue and visitor numbers during the analyzed period.

The HCA also highlighted that direct answer features—such as weather panels, currency converters, and unit converters—are increasingly prevalent in general search services. These developments align with consumer preferences for quicker and more convenient access to information.

While acknowledging that dominant companies like Google bear heightened responsibility for their market behavior, the HCA emphasized that this obligation does not prevent them from enhancing their services. The investigation found no evidence of consumer harm or anti-competitive effects directly linked to Google’s lyric card service.

As a result, the HCA concluded that no infringement of antitrust law had occurred and terminated the proceeding. The case highlights the ongoing challenge of balancing technological innovation with fair competition, particularly in digital markets dominated by large tech companies.