Italy court orders Facebook to pay $5 million in damages for copying app

MILAN (Reuters) - A Milan-based appeals court on Tuesday ordered Facebook to pay 3.83 million euros ($4.70 million) in damages to an Italian software development company for copying an app, a court document seen by Reuters showed.

The judges said the U.S. group copied their 'Nearby' feature from Italy's Business Competence's app 'Faround', which allows users to identify shops, clubs, restaurants in their surrounding area through geolocalisation.

The court's decision upheld a 2019 ruling but increased the amount of damages that Facebook will have to pay, initially set at 350,000 euros.

"We have received the court's decision and are examining it carefully," a Facebook spokesman told Reuters.

($1 = 0.8155 euros)

(Reporting by Alfredo Faieta and Elvira Pollina; writing by Francesca Landini, editing by Giulia Segreti)