The DOJ has accused Google of being a monopoly in the advertising market.
The DOJ said that Google “rigged” ad auctions in a way that hurt the competition in its closing arguments at an antitrust trial, but it isn’t clear how the US District Court Judge will rule.
Google has been the subject of antitrust lawsuits since 2023, with the DOJ claiming that the company was an illegal monopoly in the search market. In August of 2024, the courts sided with the DOJ, but another lawsuit concerning the company’s advertising technology followed shortly after.
The Department of Justice provided its closing arguments in the latest case against Google on Monday. Its lawyer, Aaron Teitelbaum, claimed that Google had linked together its ad-related technologies in a way that stifled the growth of rival products, forcing publishers to rely on Google’s systems for ad revenue.
A News Corp. executive claimed that their company was effectively held hostage, as it would have lost $9 million in 2017 had it abandoned Google’s advertising platform.
In response, the lawyer representing Google, Vidushi Dyall, pushed back and questioned the lack of evidence, as the DOJ had failed to provide examples of rival products directly affected by Google’s advertising technologies. The judge presiding in this case, Judge Leonie Brinkema, questioned the DOJ, and pointed out that advertiser feedback would be valuable in the case, as was reported by Ars Technica.
Brinkema is set to issue a ruling on the case in the following months, and it’s possible that she may side with the DOJ against Google, as the company’s search technology was already declared an illegal monopoly. Google may be forced to sell off its Chrome browser as a result of a different trial, and the company is far from enthusiastic about it, saying that this could harm browser security.
The DOJ hopes that Google will be forced to sell off its Ad Manager as well, since it represents a significant source of revenue for the company. It is unclear how the judge will rule.
Regardless of the ruling and punishments levied against Google, there will be appeals through 2025. The incoming administration is a wild card that could change everything for Google’s case.
How the anti-trust lawsuits against Google could impact Apple’s cases
In March of 2024, the Department of Justice, together with multiple U.S. states, has also filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of monopolistic practices. The company filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in August of 2024, and has asked the presiding judge to dismiss the case in November of the same year.
The Department of Justice has also claimed that Apple is a monopoly.
The ongoing anti-trust lawsuit against Apple alleges that the company is a monopoly because it restricts iMessage conversations to iPhone users, and prevents third parties from accessing NFC technology, among other things. Meanwhile, Apple has introduced RCS support with iOS 18, and the DOJ case may not be an accurate accusation.
The outcome of Google’s anti-trust lawsuit about its advertising technologies is likely to influence the outcome of the case against Apple. At the same time, the arrival of the new administration could lead to an entirely different approach for these high-profile cases.
