Athira Sethu
Kochi, 19 April 2025
A US judge has decided that Google has too much control over online advertising. This decision comes after the US Department of Justice and 17 states said Google was unfairly controlling the tools used to decide which ads appear online and where.
This is the second time in a year that Google has lost a case like this. Earlier, it was also found to have a monopoly in online search.
Google is opposing the ruling and intends to appeal. Lee-Ann Mulholland, a Google employee, stated that businesses utilize Google’s ad tools due to their ease of use, cost-effectiveness, and functionality.
However, the judge, Leonie Brinkema, stated that Google had done unfair things to remain dominant in the online advertising business. She added that this damaged publishers, competitors, and even internet users.
In this instance, Google lost two arguments, and one was rejected. Google stated that they are pleased to have won part of the case and plan to appeal the remainder. They feel their tools and company buys, such as DoubleClick, do not damage competition.
Law analyst Laura Phillips-Sawyer called this a major victory for individuals who are attempting to ensure that large tech companies comply with the law. It also indicates that courts are going to take action.
Google attorneys stated that the case focused too much on what Google had done in the past and not enough on other large ad businesses like Amazon.
Jason Kint, head of an association for online publishers, said Google employed its clout to advance its own offerings and damage other companies, including those that provide news and entertainment.
Google dominates both the buying and selling sides of online advertising as well as the platform that brings them together. The ruling will not alter the appearance of ads online but potentially alter how the money is divided between advertisers and publishers.
The second half of the case will determine what must be done. Some analysts think that this may require splitting up sections of Google, and possibly selling off things like the Chrome browser.
