US court declares Google as a monopolist: What does that mean for us?

US court declares Google as a monopolist: What does that mean for us?

In a significant judgment, a US court of Google classified Google as an illegal monopolist. The judgment was made as part of a process that focused on the technologies to place online advertisements. Judge Leonie Brinkema in the US state of Virginia found that Google has achieved a monopoly position in the area of ​​ad servers and ad Exchange through unfair competition. The legal disputes are part of a more comprehensive initiative of the US government that had filed a lawsuit against Google in 2023 and was able to prevail in two out of three advertising markets, such as radioenneperuhr.de reported.

Google plans to appeal to this judgment. The company emphasizes that advertising customers have many options and choose Google because the advertising tools are considered simple, cheap and efficient. Google is currently under pressure because it had already suffered a defeat in another procedure in the summer of 2023, which was about his monopoly position in the Internet search.

ongoing legal challenges

The arguments are not new. A parallel procedure in the District of Columbia has once again found a monopoly position and abusive practices. The US Ministry of Justice accuses Google of having an illegal monopoly in the field of advertising technology. The lawsuit, which was submitted together with General Prosecutor from eight states, is aimed at restoring the competition in important markets and has clear antitrust allegations.

In addition, Google's takeover of the advertising provider DoubleClick in 2008 is cited as an unfair means to secure dominance. Google controls the publisher ad server with over 90% market share, the Google Adexchange with at least 50% and the Google Ads Advertiser ad network with about 80%. This market controller has an impact on the competition because Google uses numerous unfair practices to preserve its dominance and neutralize competitors.

complex market structures

The US government and the plaintiffs argue that Google's dominance not only drives up the prices, but also reduces innovation pressure. Around 13 billion advertisements are sold in the United States every day, with an annual turnover of around $ 20 billion. The monopoly abuse should lead to high fees and artificially increased market entry barriers. The Google's Adtech department, which is estimated to bring $ 31 billion annually, are carefully examined.

A judgment about the consequences of the latest process in Washington is expected in the coming week. The US Ministry of Justice calls for measures that Google could force Google to separate from business with the web browser Chrome and the Android mobile operating system. Structural measures such as possible unbundling or destruction of the company are discussed as comprehensive measures against the monopoly-like market assessment, as well as netzpolitik.org in addition.