Google to Appeal Partial Ruling in DOJ Antitrust Case

Alphabet’s Google announced plans to appeal the “adverse” portion of a recent court ruling that found the company illegally maintained monopoly power in certain areas of the online advertising market. The decision, handed down Thursday by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, marks a significant development in the U.S. Department of Justice’s ongoing legal battle with the tech giant.

According to Reuters, Judge Brinkema determined that Google “willfully acquired and maintained monopoly power” in the digital advertising sector, particularly in markets for publisher ad servers and ad exchanges. These platforms are central to how online advertisements are placed and sold, and the ruling affirms the DOJ’s stance that Google has used its dominance in these areas to suppress competition.

The court’s decision was not entirely in favor of the DOJ, however. Per Reuters, Google emphasized that the ruling was mixed. The judge found that the company’s advertiser tools and its acquisitions of DoubleClick and AdMeld were not shown to be anticompetitive. However, the court sided with the DOJ in determining that Google’s conduct related to its publisher tools violated antitrust laws by shutting out competitors.

Related: Federal Judge Rules Google Illegally Monopolized Key Online Advertising Markets

As part of the DOJ’s case, the government argued that Google’s dominance necessitated structural remedies, including the divestiture of Google Ad Manager—a suite that encompasses the company’s publisher ad server and ad exchange. While the judge’s ruling did not immediately mandate such action, it opened the door to potential remedies aimed at curbing Google’s influence in the ad tech ecosystem.

Google said on Friday that it will seek to overturn the unfavorable aspects of the ruling through an appeal process, reinforcing its position that its ad tech practices support rather than hinder competition. The appeal will likely set the stage for further legal scrutiny and could reshape the regulatory landscape for digital advertising in the United States.

Source: Reuters