Summary

The US Department of Justice, along with eight states, filed a complaint against Google in January 2023, accusing it of using its monopoly power over the digital ad market to harm publishers and stifle competition. The judge found that Google did not violate antitrust laws in the open-web display advertiser ad networks market but did find violations in the publisher-side adtech market.

Key Points

• Google was found to have violated antitrust laws by monopolizing and unlawfully tying two parts of the adtech stack together, specifically DFP and AdX.

• The judge agreed that Google abused its monopoly power in the publisher-side adtech market but disagreed on the open-web display advertiser ad networks market.

• The court will now set a briefing schedule and hearing date to determine appropriate remedies for the antitrust violations, which could include forcing Google to break up its advertising business or imposing behavioral remedies.

Why It Matters

This case highlights the importance of maintaining competition in the digital ad market to prevent abuse of power and ensure fairness for all players.

Author

Rebecca Bellan