Marko Zivkovic
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 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.
Wesley Hilliard
Christine McKee
Malcolm Owen
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
5 Comments
Google a monopolist. Three times over. I can hardly believe it. Breaking up Google is tantamount to breaking up IBM back in the day. Nothing much good comes of it.
It would be a smarter move to place independent members on the board that will curtail and contain its predatory habits.
I am thinking, the only thing that matters to me is Google Search. If not that, what? Duck (lame) Duck (lame) Go. Microsoft Bing. Give me a break. That search engine can't even find it's own self.
I, like millions of users worldwide, use Google Search everyday, all day. There is nothing else. The hardware? Forget it. Google Office? What is that?
You hobble Google Search you kill off the absolute best thing on the internet. All you have to do is ask Apple. They get paid $6.5 Billion each and every year by Google to place it on their devices.
“It would be a smarter move to place independent members on the board that will curtail and contain its predatory habits.”
Can you say? Regulatory Capture
I agree with Pema, and clicked Like in his post.
Any rooting for the DOJ in Google's case is tantamount to rooting for the same DOJ in Apple's case. And in either case, any judgement against either of those companies will adversely impact all consumers who use those products and services, which means most of you reading my post right now, including myself too.
Anti-trust was designed to help the consumer but it doesn't always work out that way.
When government acts in what they say is "our benefit," we need to show government the door.
I rarely use Google search these days,I use ChatGPT app on my Mac. I do spend a lot of time on YouTube though.