The Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) has officially closed its investigation into Google, which was initiated in June 2021 concerning the company's lyrics card service. The investigation aimed to determine whether Google was unfairly influencing competition among market players that publish song lyrics by prioritizing its own lyrics display service over organic search results.

Since the launch of its lyrics service in 2014 and the introduction of the lyrics card feature in 2021, the GVH examined traffic data from various foreign and Hungarian lyrics display websites. However, it found no causal link between the introduction of the lyrics service and changes in traffic or revenue for competing sites. In fact, some competitors reported increased revenue and visitor numbers during the investigation period.

The GVH also noted that Google's lyrics service appears only in response to specific consumer searches for lyrics, effectively reducing the time consumers spend searching. The authority identified a trend in the online search market where direct answer features, such as weather panels and currency converters, are becoming more common.

While the GVH acknowledged that companies with market dominance have a heightened responsibility in shaping their market behavior, it concluded that this does not prevent them from improving their services. Ultimately, the investigation found no evidence of consumer harm or negative impact resulting from Google's actions.