Today, April 16, a US federal court struck a blow against the tech giant, ruling that Google illegally monopolized the markets for ad servers for publishers and the ad exchange market, which act as intermediaries between buyers and sellers.
Today, April 16, a US federal court struck a blow against the tech giant, ruling that Google illegally monopolized the markets for ad servers for publishers and the ad exchange market, which act as intermediaries between buyers and sellers.
The ruling could allow prosecutors to seek a breakup of Google's advertising products. The U.S. Department of Justice said Google must sell at least its Google Ad Manager, writes Reuters
Google could now face the possibility of two different US courts ordering it to sell assets or change its business practices.
A judge in Washington will hold a hearing next week at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice to force Google to sell its Chrome browser and take other steps to end the company's dominance in online search.
Prosecutors in court said that Google used classic monopoly-building tactics — eliminating competitors through acquisitions, tying customers to use its products, and controlling how transactions take place in the online advertising market.
Instead, Google argued that the case focused on the past, when the company was still working to make its tools connect to competitors' products. Prosecutors also ignored competition from tech companies including Amazon and Comcast as digital advertising spending shifted toward apps and streaming video, a Google lawyer said.
