Google’s Antitrust Cases and Why We’re Paying Attention
Google has now lost two major antitrust cases in the U.S., first for monopolising online search, and most recently, for its dominance in online advertising technology.
The Judges Verdict:
In the latest ruling, the court found that Google “wilfully engaged in a series of anticompetitive acts" by controlling both sides of the ad tech market and self-preferencing its own platforms. This includes its ownership of the key tools and exchanges that help determine which ads show up where online. The judge said this harmed publishers, the competitive process and ultimately consumers.
Googles Stance:
Google is appealing, arguing that advertisers and publishers choose its tool (like DV360) because they’re effective and user friendly.
Impact in Ireland:
For our team within Core running programmatic campaigns through DV360 in this market, there are no immediate changes. However, that said the case now moves into remedies phase, where structural changes including potentially breaking off parts of Google’s ad business or requiring it to open up inventory that is only accessible through Google’s own platforms to rival DSP’s are on the table.
While users of the internet likely won’t notice much on the surface, these legal moves could shift how revenue is shared between advertisers, publishers, and platforms -so it's something we’ll continue to monitor.
Read more here:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3674nl7g74o
https://www.irishexaminer.com/business/companies/arid-41617864.html