The Department of Justice and eight states have sued the company for allegedly monopolizing its digital advertising technologies.
Things look set to get hot and heavy for Google, as the US Department of Justice (DOJ), along with eight states, has filed a lawsuit alleging that the company has a “monopoly on several digital advertising technology products.” The filing states that Google uses many different advertising technologies that websites rely on and has become dependent on over the years, and this puts its competitors at a significant disadvantage. The suit aims to restore competition in the field of digital advertising.
The DOJ statement discusses how over the past 15 years Google has engaged in “anticompetitive and exclusionary behavior” that has forced both publishers and advertisers to use its products. It also states that at the same time this behavior also eliminated competitors in the advertising business. Furthermore, the DOJ claims that this has allowed the company to thrive, and has managed to become the dominant company it is today. The Department of Justice views this as “unlawful” and pledges to “strictly enforce antitrust laws to protect consumers, protect competition, and ensure economic fairness and opportunity for all.”
Google has faced lawsuits in the past regarding its business practices and even currently, the Department of Justice has a federal antitrust case underway against the company, with Lawsuit filed again in 2020. While the lawsuit is unrelated to the one I filed today, it raises similar complaints against Google, but for its search engine activity. The suit alleges that it has unfairly hindered competition in the search engine business, allowing for control of the space. This litigation is scheduled to reach trial in September 2023.
Although the new lawsuit is very heated, it will likely take years for it to go to trial, and who knows, maybe by then Google will be hit by another lawsuit from the DOJ.
Source: US Department of Justice
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