- An American judge judged that Google violated antitrust laws
- He would have monopolized the advertising market by linking his products together
- Google could have to sell parts of its business, but the remedies must still be confirmed
A district judge of Virginia ruled that Google had violated antitrust laws by “acquiring and voluntarily maintaining monopoly power” on the advertising technology market, potentially serious consequences for the technology giant.
The decision follows a trial in 2023 by the Ministry of Justice, supported by eight distinct American states, accusing the company of harming the rivals, publishers and online consumers.
Google was specifically found guilty of monopolizing the market by linking two parts of its Adtech – DoubleClick battery for publishers (DFP) and AD Exchange (ADX).
The judge indicates that Google violated antitrust laws
Despite the conclusions, the judge did not find a monopoly in the advertising networks of the advertiser, representing a partial victory for Google.
Although Google was found guilty, the judge did not determine any remedy. A distinct judicial hearing will indicate what Google must do to comply with antitrust laws and stage any violation. The consequences could include the rupture of Google’s advertising activity, such as the sale of Google Ad Manager, and other behavioral remedies such as prohibiting Google from the self-prefers in advertising auctions.
“Having found Google Responsible, the court will establish an information calendar and a hearing date to determine the appropriate appeals for these antitrust violations,” confirms the decision.
Noting the continuous employment of anti -competitive business practices for more than a decade, the judge said: “In addition to depriving competitors of the ability to compete, this exclusion considerably led the customers of the Google publisher, the competitive process and, ultimately, consumers of information on the opening of the web.”
“We have gained half of this case and we will call on the other half. The court found that our advertiser tools and our acquisitions, like DoubleClick, do not harm competition,” said Google’s vice-president of regulatory affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland Techradar Pro.
“Publishers have many options and they choose Google because our advertising technology tools are simple, affordable and effective.”
Google is also in the hot water of its domination of the research market – nine out of 10 (89.7%) of all research on the Internet followed by StatCounter used Google. Bing, in second place, represented only 4%.
If the company is found guilty of violation there, it could also be forced to sell its chromed activity, a browser which represents two sessions out of three (66.2%) worldwide. This case is in progress.
