The DOJ has accused Google of operating an advertising monopoly.
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The DOJ said Google “rigged” ad auctions in a way that harmed competition in its closing arguments in the antitrust trial, but It's unclear how the U.S. District Judge will rule.
Google has been the target of antitrust lawsuits since 2023, with the Justice Department claiming the company is an illegal monopoly in the search market. In August 2024, the courts sided with the Justice Department, but another lawsuit targeting the company's advertising technology soon followed.
The Justice Department presented its closing arguments in the latest case against Google on Monday. Its attorney, Aaron Teitelbaum, argued that Google had tethered its ad tech in a way that stifled the growth of competing products by forcing publishers to rely on Google’s systems for ad revenue.
A News Corp. executive said the company was effectively being held hostage because it would have lost $9 million in 2017 if it had abandoned Google’s ad platform.
In response, Google’s attorney, Vidushi Dyall, pushed back and questioned the lack of evidence because the Justice Department had failed to provide examples of competing products directly affected by Google’s ad tech. Judge Leonie Brinkema, the presiding judge in the case, questioned the Justice Department’s decision and said that advertiser feedback would have been valuable in the case, Ars Technica reported.
Brinkema is set to rule in the case in the coming months, and it’s possible she will side with the Justice Department against Google, as the company’s search technology has already been declared an illegal monopoly. Google could be forced to sell its Chrome browser as a result of another lawsuit, and the company is far from enthusiastic about that, saying it could harm the browser’s security.
The Justice Department hopes Google will also be forced to sell its Ad Manager, as it represents a significant source of revenue for the company. It’s unclear what the judge will rule on.
Regardless of the ruling and the penalties imposed on Google, appeals will continue until 2025. A new administration is an unpredictable twist that could change everything in the Google case.
How Antitrust Lawsuits Against Google Could Impact Apple
In March 2024, the Justice Department, along with several U.S. states, also filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of monopolistic practices. The company filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in August 2024 and asked the presiding judge to dismiss the case in November of that year.
The Justice Department also claimed that Apple is a monopoly.
An ongoing antitrust lawsuit against Apple claims that the company is a monopoly because it limits iMessage conversations to iPhone users and prevents third parties from accessing NFC technology, among other things. Meanwhile, Apple has rolled out RCS support in iOS 18, and the Justice Department's case may be an inaccurate accusation.
The outcome of Google's antitrust lawsuit over its ad tech will likely impact the outcome of the case against Apple. At the same time, a new administration could bring a very different approach to these high-profile cases.
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