Google has to face almost all of the allegations about its advertising practices that were brought forward by attorneys general from 17 different states in a 2020 lawsuit, according to a federal judge.
New York District Court Judge Kevin Castel dismissed allegations that Google’s Open Bidding agreement with Meta, known as “Jedi Blue,” was an unlawful restraint of trade, but he upheld the remaining three antitrust claims about its monopolistic approach to ad sales and advertising practices.
GOOGLE TO PAY 4.1-BILLION-EURO FINE TO EU FOR ABUSING ANDROID MARKET POWER
The decision shows that the case “is deeply flawed,” Google wrote in a blog post recognizing the ruling. “As we’ve long said, advertising technology is a fiercely competitive industry — and our products increase choice for publishers, advertisers and consumers while enabling small businesses to affordably find new customers. We look forward to setting the record straight about the remaining claims.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced in 2020 that he was filing a “multi-state lawsuit against Google for anti-competitive conduct, exclusionary practices, and deceptive misrepresentations,” focusing on Jedi Blue. This agreement was designed to give Meta an advantage on Google’s exchanges connected to any buying or selling ads on the platform.
The complaint argued that “Google monopolized or attempted to monopolize products and services used by advertisers and publishers in online-display advertising” and that it “engaged in false, misleading and deceptive acts while selling, buying and auctioning online-display ads.”
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Google is facing increased scrutiny over antitrust concerns. The company will have to pay 4.1 billion euros to the European Union after attempting to appeal allegations that it abused its market power through its handling of the Android system. It was also accused of illegally paying companies to make Google the default search engine by the Justice Department.
