Judge sides with online publishers in Google ad tech antitrust case

"A New York federal judge ruled in favor of online news publishers and advertisers who allege Google unlawfully monopolized the digital advertising market and diverted revenue that would have otherwise gone to news operations. U.S. District Court Judge P. Kevin Castel granted partial summary judgment for Gannett, the country's largest newspaper chain and owner of USA TODAY, the Daily Mail, digital media company Inform and a proposed class of smaller publishers, holding Google liable for illegally monopolizing its advertising placement technology business."

"In his ruling, Castel pointed to the findings in the Justice Department's antitrust trial against Google in Northern Virginia earlier this year. U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled in April that Google acted illegally to maintain its monopoly over some of the automated systems that place ads on the internet, allowing the company to substantially harm publishers, the competitive process, and consumers of information.."

"In that case, the DOJ accused Google of excluding competitors and "corrupting" the digital ad market, which is worth more than $200 billion in the United States. During the trial, DOJ called witnesses who had worked for publishers, including Gannett. "Judge Brinkema's findings of fact and conclusions of law are precise and concise," Castel wrote. Gannett CEO and Chairman Mike Reed hailed the ruling as a "major development in the broader antitrust battle" against Google."

A New York federal judge granted partial summary judgment for Gannett and a proposed class of publishers, finding Google liable for illegally monopolizing advertising placement technology. Plaintiffs accused Google of abusing its dominant position to control and profit from the systems publishers use to buy and sell digital ads, diverting revenue away from news operations. The ruling relied on findings from the Justice Department's antitrust trial, where a judge found Google maintained monopolies over automated ad-placement systems and substantially harmed publishers, competition, and information consumers. The DOJ alleged Google excluded competitors and "corrupted" a U.S. digital ad market worth over $200 billion. Gannett called the decision a major antitrust development.

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