The tech giant has violated American antitrust laws, according to a court ruling
Tech giant Google has violated US antitrust laws by illegally monopolizing the online advertising market, a federal judge has ruled, in a case that could force the company to sell parts of its ad business.
The decision marks the second major courtroom defeat for Google in less than a year, as US regulators ramp up efforts to rein in Big Tech’s dominance.
US District Judge Leonie Brinkema issued the ruling on Thursday in Virginia, siding with the Justice Department in a case targeting the $31 billion segment of Google’s ad business that connects website publishers with advertisers.
Brinkema found that by tying its ad server and publisher ad exchange, Google had “establish[ed] and protect[ed] its monopoly power in these two markets” for over a decade. In her 115-page decision, she wrote that the company’s conduct had deprived “rivals of the ability to compete.”
Google said it would appeal the decision, arguing the government is trying to dictate how it does business and that its view of the market is contrived and disconnected from reality. The company maintained that its tools help publishers and advertisers generate revenue.
“We won half of this case and we will appeal the other half,” said Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s vice president of regulatory affairs, noting the court has found its advertiser tools and acquisitions do not harm competition.
The ruling follows another antitrust loss for Google last year, when a judge found it held a monopoly in online search. It also comes amid a broader crackdown on Silicon Valley giants that began during Donald Trump’s first term as president.
This week, fellow tech giant Meta went on trial over federal claims it abused its market power by buying up potential rivals as part of a “buy-or-bury strategy.”
Google could now be forced to sell assets or overhaul parts of its business, experts say. In a separate case, a Washington judge is set to consider the DOJ’s request to make the company divest its Chrome browser and curb its dominance in search.
This is “a big win in the fight to break up Big Tech,” US Senator Elizabeth Warren said on Thursday, calling the decision “the result of years of work to rein in tech companies’ abuses.”
