Judge rules Google violated antitrust law, ad empire may be restructured

A federal judge says a popular tech giant broke the law and it could cost them their ad empire

A U.S. district judge based in Virginia ruled that Google violated antitrust laws by illegally monopolizing the online advertising market

The case centers on Google's control of the online ad market, the system that decides when ads show up when users visit websites

The court found Google dominated key tools, including ad servers and exchanges, which connect brands with publishers selling space

That control, the judge says, hurt competitors, customers and the public. In a 115 page decision, the ruling states, in addition to depriving rivals of the ability to compete, this exclusionary conduct substantially harmed Google's publisher customers, the competitive process and ultimately consumers of information on the open Web

Google says that's not the case. In a statement, the company said publishers choose Google's tools because they're both affordable and effective

This all stems from a lawsuit filed in 2023 by the Justice Department and a group of states

They accused Google of abusing its dominance, especially through its $3 billion purchase of DoubleClick back in 2008, which gave Google a major footprint in the ad tech world

The government says Google tied together its ad server and exchange making it hard for rivals to compete and locking in publishers who wanted to sell ads The federal judge wrote for over a decade Google has tied its publisher ad service and ad exchange

together through contractual policies and technological integration, which enabled the company to establish and protect its monopoly power in these two markets. A strategy federal

prosecutors argue helped generate $31 billion in ad revenue in 2023 alone. A second trial is coming

where a judge will decide if Google should be broken up, and if so, how

The DOJ told the judge Google should sell its Chrome browser and Google Ad Manager to remedy the situation

This case isn't the only fire Google is trying to extinguish. In a separate ruling in August of last year

another federal judge found Google was also running a monopoly when it comes to search

This case is about more than ads. It's part of a wider push for regulators to focus

on reducing the control of big tech companies. The Justice Department has also taken Apple to court

claiming it's created a system that makes it hard for users to switch devices

The Federal Trade Commission has sued Amazon, saying small businesses are taking a hit

while also focusing on Meta for buying up competitors like Instagram and WhatsApp

If the courts side with the government, Google could be forced to sell off major pieces of its business

For Straight Arrow News, I'm Kaylee Carey. For more fact-based unbiased coverage, download the Straight Arrow News mobile app today