Google suffered another legal blow as a judge ruled that the company illegally dominates two markets for online advertising technology. What makes this important is that it paves the way for the US antitrust prosecutors to seek a breakup of Google's ad products. A US judge ruled that Google illegally wielded monopoly power in the online ad technology market, delivering a significant blow to the tech giant’s revenue engine. According to a report by news agency AFP, district Court Judge Leonie Brinkema found Google built an illegal monopoly over publisher ad servers and ad exchanges, engaging in anticompetitive acts to maintain dominance, harming publishers, competition, and consumers.
The federal government and over a dozen US states filed the antitrust suit, accusing Alphabet-owned Google of dominating digital advertising sectors -- publisher ad servers, advertiser tools, and ad exchanges. Brinkema reportedly partially dismissed claims about advertiser tools but agreed Google’s policies and product feature eliminations entrenched its monopoly.
Google to appeal the ruling
Google vowed to appeal, with vice president of regulatory affairs Lee-Anne Mulholland noting the court found no competitive harm in its advertiser tools or acquisitions like DoubleClick. “We won half of this case and we will appeal the other half,” she said, adding that the company disagrees with the decision on its publisher tools. “Publishers have many options and they choose Google because our ad tech tools are simple, affordable and effective.”
Advertising accounted for about 75% of Alphabet's $350.02 billion in revenue for 2024. The Google Network business accounted for only 8.7% of the revenue.
Five big anti-trust cases targeting Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook going in the US
The ruling is part of a broader US government push to curb Big Tech, with five major antitrust cases targeting tech giants, marking an aggressive shift in enforcement since the Microsoft case in the 1990s.
Analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf of Emarketer said the antitrust tide has turned against Google, though legal remedies and timelines depend on appeals, which could span years. The case, launched under the Trump and Biden administrations, follows another ruling last August that Google illegally monopolized search, also under appeal. Online advertising fuels Google’s fortune, funding free services like Maps, Gmail, and search, and its AI investments.
The federal government and over a dozen US states filed the antitrust suit, accusing Alphabet-owned Google of dominating digital advertising sectors -- publisher ad servers, advertiser tools, and ad exchanges. Brinkema reportedly partially dismissed claims about advertiser tools but agreed Google’s policies and product feature eliminations entrenched its monopoly.
Google to appeal the ruling
Google vowed to appeal, with vice president of regulatory affairs Lee-Anne Mulholland noting the court found no competitive harm in its advertiser tools or acquisitions like DoubleClick. “We won half of this case and we will appeal the other half,” she said, adding that the company disagrees with the decision on its publisher tools. “Publishers have many options and they choose Google because our ad tech tools are simple, affordable and effective.”
Advertising accounted for about 75% of Alphabet's $350.02 billion in revenue for 2024. The Google Network business accounted for only 8.7% of the revenue.
Five big anti-trust cases targeting Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook going in the US
The ruling is part of a broader US government push to curb Big Tech, with five major antitrust cases targeting tech giants, marking an aggressive shift in enforcement since the Microsoft case in the 1990s.
Analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf of Emarketer said the antitrust tide has turned against Google, though legal remedies and timelines depend on appeals, which could span years. The case, launched under the Trump and Biden administrations, follows another ruling last August that Google illegally monopolized search, also under appeal. Online advertising fuels Google’s fortune, funding free services like Maps, Gmail, and search, and its AI investments.
You may also like
Tremors felt in parts of J-K after 5.8 earthquake hits Afghanistan
The Rise of Digital Nomadism: A New Paradigm of Work and Wanderlus
'Hinduism Is Becoming A Joke': Rashami Desai SLAMS Urvashi Rautela For Claiming There's A Temple In Her Name In Uttarakhand
India exports first pomegranate consignment to US via sea route
Indian Stock Market Rallies Over 4.5% In A Week; Sensex, Nifty Hit Multi-Week Highs
