The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has stated that it will join eight other states in suing Google for civil antitrust violations stemming from its purported monopoly on digital advertising. According to the complaint, Google has been engaged in anticompetitive activities for years, including acquiring competitors’ digital ad tech, forcing publishers to use its tools, distorting auction competition by restricting real-time bidding on publisher shares, and manipulating auction mechanics.
Google violated Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act, which deals with contracts in restriction of commerce and monopolisation, according to the DOJ and the Attorneys General of California, Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Justice Department Sues Google for Monopolizing Digital Advertising Technologies
Through Serial Acquisitions and Anticompetitive Auction Manipulation, Google Subverted Competition in Internet Advertising Technologieshttps://t.co/0bwDlmWXaP
— Justice Department (@TheJusticeDept) January 24, 2023
“Google has used anticompetitive, exclusionary, and unlawful conduct to eliminate or severely diminish any threat to its dominance over digital advertising technologies,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in a statement. “No matter the industry and the company, the Justice Department will vigorously enforce our antitrust laws to protect consumers, safeguard competition, and ensure economic fairness and opportunity for all.”
According to Google, the case “largely duplicates an unfounded lawsuit by the Texas Attorney General, much of which was recently dismissed by a federal court.” Google believes that the lawsuit would ” Google also claims that the case “would slow innovation, raise advertising fees, and make it harder for thousands of small businesses and publishers to grow.”
This is the latest in a long line of legal challenges against Google’s advertising tactics. The Department of Justice and the Attorneys General of the eight states engaged in the action seek injunctive relief, including structural remedies, to correct Google’s alleged Sherman Act breaches. The whole lawsuit is available on the DOJ’s website.
