ent Google and the DOJ made their final arguments in the ad tech monopoly case against the tech giant. During them, the DOJ said that Google is “once, twice, three times a monopolist“.
During the final arguments in the ad tech monopoly case, the DOJ said Google is a clear monopolist
Google and the Department of Justice met once again in Alexandria, Virginia, or should we say in a courtroom there. They’ve met one final time before the ruling is made.
The closing arguments lasted for around three hours. Attorneys from both sides delivered their closing arguments before the US District Court judge Leonie Brinkema. Her decision is expected by the end of this year.
If she ends up ruling that Google’s ad tech system is a monopoly, a second trial will follow, it will be related to remedies. That is where Google is at in its second trial, the one the company lost, related to Google Search.
As many of you know, the DOJ argued that Google used its suite of ad tech products to strong-arm site owners and advertisers. Google argued that it faces competition from others, and shouldn’t have to cut deals with the competitors.
The Judge wondered what the DOJ would say if she agreed with Google on a specific issue
The DOJ was asked, by the Judge, why it focused most of its attention (during the trial) on publishers and called ad agency witnessers, rather than advertisers themselves. The DOJ counsel, Aaron Teitelbaum, said that publishers’ issues with Google were very good at highlighting anticompetitive conduct.
The government and Google presented two different takes on Google’s ad market business. The DOJ argued that Google works in three markets, while Google sees it as a single, but two-sided market. The Judge seemed to agree more with the DOJ in that case.
Speaking of which, the Judge also asked the DOJ how it would attempt to win if she ruled that Google is operating in a single, two-sided market. The government said that even in that scenario, the court could find direct evidence of monopoly power.
As mentioned previously, the final decision is coming before the end of the year.
