A U.S. federal judge has ruled that Alphabet, Google’s parent company, violated antitrust laws in the advertising technology sector. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema issued the ruling on April 17, asserting that Google has established an illegal monopoly in the area of “advertising exchanges and tools” that websites use to sell ad space. While acknowledging the monopoly in this aspect, Brinkema clarified that Google did not meet the definition of a monopoly concerning the purchasing of display ads. Judge Brinkema’s ruling directly addresses the government’s concerns, stating that Google has “willfully engaged in a series of anticompetitive acts” to secure and maintain its monopoly power in the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets.
She noted that Google’s practices not only hinder competition but obscure potentially beneficial products from publishers. In response, Google contended that publishers have numerous options and choose its ad tech services for their simplicity, affordability, and effectiveness. This legal battle is far from over. Having determined that part of the case regarding Google’s ad monopoly holds merit, Judge Brinkema indicated that the court would seek a remedy by separating the proceedings regarding the two sides of the antitrust claims.
The groundwork for this litigation was laid last November when the Department of Justice accused Google of being a “monopolist.” In addition to the ad-tech case, there are ongoing discussions regarding Google’s search monopoly, with the DOJ advocating for the company to divest itself of its Chrome browser. A new trial to determine appropriate remedies for Google’s antitrust violations is set to begin on April 21.