A law from 1634 is why Europeans cannot sue Big Tech together

Ireland’s 1634 statute criminalises maintenance and champerty, barring third-party funding of lawsuits unless the funder has a direct stake, which prevents non-profit groups from financing collective actions against tech giants. The EU’s 2020 Representative Actions Directive limits filing to qualified non-profits, but Irish law blocks the necessary funding, leaving only one case—against Microsoft’s ad system—while regulators can fine companies without compensating affected consumers.