Federal Judge Rules Google's Ad Business for Antitrust Trial in September

A federal judge confirmed that the U.S. government is going after Google's advertising business in a September trial.

The trial is scheduled for September 9 based on the court documents filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Google Faces Antitrust Lawsuit for Ad Business

According to the documents, Google will be on trial for its advertising business which accumulated for the majority of Alphabet's overall revenue. The latest quarterly financial results showed that around $66 billion of the $86 billion revenue came from advertising.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and multiple states have accused Google of limiting rivalry through anticompetitive mergers and has bullied publishers and advertisers to use the big tech's ad technology.

In defense, Google previously stated that the lawsuit from the DOJ is merely a copycat attempt of the unfounded and dismissed lawsuit 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," VP for Google's global ads, Dan Taylor, stated.

Google Argues Advertising Competition is Increasing Every Year

In a blog post, Google elaborated that the company is one of hundreds of companies that are making revenue from ads on the internet. Moreover, the competition has not been stifled as it continues to increase.

The company also cited various companies that have undergone acquisitions and investments in advertising. This includes Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, TikTok, Comcast, Disney, Walmart, Target, and more.

This antitrust lawsuit against Google's ad business marked the company's second major lawsuit, primarily highlighting the company's economic dominance for the past years. Last year, Google faced the court for its alleged monopolistic behavior in its search engine.