Several independent advertisers on Monday, June 22, filed a class action accusing Google of creating a monopoly in digital advertising and suing the tech company for antitrust violations under the Sherman Act and California’s Unfair Competition Law.
Plaintiffs Michael Devaney, Nicholas Arrieta, and Sara Yberra, acting on behalf of themselves and others, accuse Google and Alphabet of creating an illegal monopoly by eliminating competition in the display advertising ad-tech stack through acquisition of competitors, exclusivity provisions, interoperability and compatibility design choices, and development of its analytics services.
The plaintiffs — who bought digital ads through Google for their businesses, which include a photography business, a moving business, and an online store for bicycling hardware — separately purchased digital ads from Google. They claim to have overpaid for the ads and suffered financial loss, and that Google “wrongfully acquired and unlawfully maintained monopoly power in the relevant markets.”
From the purchase of the DoubleClick ad server to AdMob, which serves ads in apps, to the AdMeld supply-side platform, Google has developed or bought its way into the advertising business to capitalize on consumer searches and advertisements served on publisher sites.
“With its ability to track millions of users across millions of sites and apps, other publishers cannot compete with Google’s informational advantage,” according to Law Street Media, and the court document filed on Monday.
Full Content: Law Street Media
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
Veteran Lawyers Launch Boutique Antitrust Firm in NY and DC
Oct 6, 2024 by
CPI
EU’s Top Court Upholds Antitrust Veto on Thyssenkrupp-Tata Steel Deal
Oct 6, 2024 by
CPI
Brazil’s Court Delays X’s Return Over Fine Payment Dispute
Oct 6, 2024 by
CPI
Tencent and Guillemot Family Consider Potential Buyout of Ubisoft
Oct 6, 2024 by
CPI
Second Price-Fixing Case Against Hotel-Casinos Dismissed by Federal Judge
Oct 6, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Refusal to Deal
Sep 27, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust’s Refusal-to-Deal Doctrine: The Emperor Has No Clothes
Sep 27, 2024 by
Erik Hovenkamp
Why All Antitrust Claims are Refusal to Deal Claims and What that Means for Policy
Sep 27, 2024 by
Ramsi Woodcock
The Aspen Misadventure
Sep 27, 2024 by
Roger Blair & Holly P. Stidham
Refusal to Deal in Antitrust Law: Evolving Jurisprudence and Business Justifications in the Align Technology Case
Sep 27, 2024 by
Timothy Hsieh