The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is set to deliver its final arguments on Monday in a case accusing Google of illegally dominating online advertising technology, marking its second antitrust challenge against the tech giant.
The closing arguments, taking place in Alexandria, Virginia, conclude a 15-day trial held in September. During the trial, prosecutors argued that Google monopolized the markets for publisher ad servers and advertiser ad networks and sought to dominate the ad exchanges that connect buyers and sellers.
Google, however, contends that prosecutors are misinterpreting U.S. antitrust laws to force the company to support competitors’ services. It also argues that the case hinges on outdated claims from when Google was still developing its ad tech offerings.
Publishers testified that they felt trapped within Google’s ecosystem due to the lack of alternatives to access the vast advertising demand generated by Google’s network. For instance, a witness noted that News Corp estimated it would lose at least $9 million in ad revenue in 2017 if it had switched away from Google.
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If U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema rules against Google, she will consider the DOJ’s request to force the company to divest Google Ad Manager, which includes its publisher ad server and ad exchange.
Google previously offered to sell its ad exchange to resolve a separate European Union antitrust investigation, but the proposal was rejected by European publishers, as first reported by Reuters in September.
Analysts view this ad tech case as less financially significant than the DOJ’s other lawsuit, where a judge found Google maintained an illegal monopoly in online search. In that case, prosecutors have argued that Google should also be required to sell its Chrome browser.
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