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The Department of Justice filed its second lawsuit targeting Google’s market power, this time focusing on the Silicon Valley giant’s dominance in the ad space.
Meanwhile, the Senate kicked off its first hearing of the year with a rare display of unity. The issue that bridged the gap across the aisle? Ticketmaster and an opportunity for lawmakers to outwit each other with Taylor Swift references.
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TAKE TWO ????DOJ vs. Google
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and a handful of states sued Google over the tech giant’s dominance in the digital ad space, according to a complaint filed Tuesday.
The case is the second antitrust lawsuit the DOJ has filed against Google, adding to the mounting legal battles from state and federal antitrust enforcers targeting the Silicon Valley giant.
The suit was filed along with Virginia, California, Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Tennessee.
“One industry behemoth, Google, has corrupted legitimate competition in the ad tech industry by engaging in a systematic campaign to seize control of the wide swath of high-tech tools used by publishers, advertisers, and brokers, to facilitate digital advertising.
“Having inserted itself into all aspects of the digital advertising marketplace, Google has used anticompetitive, exclusionary, and unlawful means to eliminate or severely diminish any threat to its dominance over digital advertising technologies,” the complaint states.
A Google spokesperson said the lawsuit “attempts to pick winners and losers in the highly competitive technology sector” and “largely duplicates” claims made in a suit led by the Texas attorney general.
“DOJ is doubling down on a flawed argument that would slow innovation, raise advertising fees, and make it harder for thousands of small businesses and publishers to grow,” the spokesperson added in a statement.
The DOJ and states are seeking to unwind Google’s alleged “anticompetitive acquisitions” in the advertising space as part of the joint case. Ticketmaster, Taylor Swift and the Senate’s rare unity
Ticketmaster defended its online market power in the digital ticketing space at a packed — and unusually unified — Senate Judiciary hearing Tuesday, after months of increased scrutiny following a chaotic sale of tickets to Taylor Swift’s upcoming tour.
