US Court Ruling Against Google Spurs Fresh Antitrust Tensions in Europe

A recent ruling by a U.S. federal judge that found Google had illegally leveraged its dominance in the online advertising market is set to reverberate beyond American borders, placing new pressure on European regulators to tighten oversight of the tech giant.

The ruling, handed down by Judge Leonie Brinkema in a Virginia courtroom on Thursday, determined that Google violated antitrust laws in the way it managed its advertisement exchange service — a crucial part of the company’s sprawling ad tech empire that enables real-time auctions for online ad space. As reported by Euractiv, the judgment has yet to appear in official court records but has been widely cited by media outlets closely following the case.

While the immediate legal implications apply to U.S. operations, the decision arrives at a time of heightened scrutiny in the European Union, where Google is already under significant regulatory pressure. Per Euractiv, the ruling may further complicate Google’s standing in Europe, especially following a string of high-profile decisions from EU courts and ongoing investigations from the European Commission.

In September, the Court of Justice of the EU upheld a €2.42 billion penalty against Google for giving unfair preference to its own comparison shopping services — a case that helped shape the EU’s ambitious Digital Markets Act (DMA), enacted in 2022 to curb anti-competitive practices by dominant digital platforms.

The latest U.S. decision follows an earlier ruling by Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, D.C., who found that Google operated as an illegal monopoly in the online search and advertising markets. Together, these cases may set the stage for more aggressive remedies, potentially including a forced divestiture of some of Google’s business units.

Read more: Google Faces £5 Billion Class Action in UK Over Alleged Online Search Monopoly

According to Euractiv, enforcement efforts within the EU remain ongoing, with a coalition of rival tech firms urging the European Commission to fully deploy the powers of the DMA against Google. Despite past hesitation—reportedly influenced by geopolitical pressures, including threats of retaliatory tariffs from former U.S. President Donald Trump—the new developments may strengthen the Commission’s hand in demanding substantial changes to Google’s practices.

Further complicating matters, Google continues to contest multiple fines in Europe. In addition to the shopping service penalty, the company is embroiled in a legal battle over a record €4.125 billion fine related to its Android mobile operating system, where the Commission alleges the company abused its market dominance to suppress competition.

In response to Thursday’s ruling, Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, told Euractiv that the company disagrees with the court’s decision and intends to appeal.

Source: Euractiv