- Firefighters battling flames around Brazil's capital
- Myanmar flooding death toll jumps to 226
- Peruvian police seize 1.3 tons of shark fins
- Town at center of US migrant conspiracies hit with 33 bomb threats
- Emmy ratings pick up with historic 'Shogun' wins
- Washington, Madrid, Prague seek information on nationals held in Venezuela
- Pakistani pleads not guilty in alleged Iran plot to kill US official
- Drug-resistant superbugs projected to kill 39 million by 2050
- London Fashion Week: Burberry gives the trench coat a streetwear edge
- US woman died after abortion ban delayed her medical care: report
- Chiles' attorneys file Swiss appeal to overturn Olympic medal agony
- Intel delays Germany, Poland chip factories for two years
- Brady's Birmingham beat Reynolds' Wrexham in 'Hollywood derby'
- UN chief condemns 'collective punishment' of Palestinians
- Chiefs running back Pacheco suffers leg fracture: team
- Ronaldo misses Al Nassr draw in Asian Champions League opener
- Murdoch media empire succession drama plays out in US tribunal
- Players ignored in loaded football season, says Liverpool's Alisson
- Philippines says disputed reef 'not lost' to China despite pullout
- England's Curry 'curled up and cried' after serious injury
- Glamorgan approach Hollywood's Reynolds and McElhenney over Hundred investment
- League Cup still 'significant' for Man Utd boss Ten Hag
- Brazil's farmers fret over fires and drought
- Top Biden aide says US economy at 'turning point'
- US military says withdrawal from Niger is complete
- Bayern set sights on dream home Champions League final
- Toll hits 17 as Storm Boris lashes central Europe
- Hamas chief says ready for 'long war' in Gaza
- Suspect in Trump assassination attempt charged with gun crimes
- Iran's new president vows to ensure morality police don't 'bother' women
- Australia put teenage quick Beardman on standby for England ODIs
- Americans, Swiss snatch lifeline in Louis Vuitton Cup
- Trump blames Biden and Harris 'rhetoric' for assassination bids
- Ex-BBC anchor avoids jail over 'repugnant' images of children
- Brentford forward Wissa out for 'a couple of months'
- Titanic shipbuilder sinks back into trouble
- Where in the world is closest to becoming a '15-minute city'?
- Russia evacuates border villages in Kursk region
- US election in newly volatile territory after Trump alleged assassination bid
- France probes online threats against Afghan taekwondo fighter
- Sinner hires Djokovic's ex-fitness coach after dope test row
- Swifties raise $40k in wake of Trump post hating on star
- Fear and tears as Storm Boris wrecks Czech town
- Penpix of candidates to succeed Bach as IOC President
- Azerbaijan Grand Prix - three things we learned
- AC Milan midfielder Bennacer out for four months
- British politics and fashion collide at London Fashion Week
- French YouTuber hits peak with Everest documentary
- Athletics legend Coe vies with six rivals for IOC presidency
- Bellingham, Tchouameni back for Madrid's Champions League opener
US takes on Google's ad tech empire in antitrust trial
Google faces its second major antitrust trial in less than a year on Monday, with the US government accusing the tech giant of dominating online advertising and stifling competition.
The trial in a federal court in northern Virginia follows a separate case where a judge last month found Google's search business to be an illegal monopoly.
This new battle, also brought by the US Department of Justice, focuses on ad technology – the complex system determining which online ads people see and their cost.
The US government specifically alleges that Google controls the market for publishing banner ads on websites, including those of many creators and news providers.
"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.
Government lawyers will claim Google has used its financial power to acquire potential rivals and corner the ad tech market, leaving advertisers and publishers with no choice but to use its technology.
They seek to have Google divest parts of its ad tech business.
- 'Lifeblood' to information -
Google dismisses the allegations as "fundamentally misguided" and says they violate "principles of antitrust law that help drive economic growth and innovation."
"The case is also wrong on the facts, which Google looks forward to demonstrating," the company said in a court filing.
The company argues that the case is based on an outdated version of the internet, ignoring ads placed in search results, apps, and social media platforms.
Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf, Senior Analyst at Emarketer, said that while the market in question is small compared to the entire advertising ecosystem, it's "the lifeblood to a lot of important information sources for the public."
"I'm not sure that I have a lot of sympathy...for the argument that publishers" should be satisfied with fewer options to do business, she added.
The trial is expected to last at least six weeks and call on dozens of witnesses, with Judge Leonie Brinkema presiding.
Her decision on whether Google has broken antitrust law will come months after the trial. If found at fault, a separate trial would decide how Google should comply with the judge's conclusion.
Analysts at Wedbush Securities said that the economic impact of the trial will be limited for Google no matter the outcome.
The business that the government is asking Google to sell accounted for less than 1 percent of operating income this year, they estimated.
Similar investigations into Google's dominance of the ad tech business are ongoing in the European Union and Britain.
Meanwhile, the earlier search case has entered the remedy phase, with the US government expected to propose an overhaul of Google's search engine business in the coming weeks.
T.Vitorino--PC