DOJ launches case against Google in historic trial over digital ad dominance, attorney warns of 'unintended consequences'
Justice Department attorneys took aim at Google’s alleged monopoly over the digital advertising market on Monday in a federal antitrust case that poses a major threat to the Big Tech giant
Justice Department attorneys took aim at Google’s alleged monopoly over the digital advertising market on Monday in an antitrust case that poses a major threat to the Big Tech giant’s business model.
Opening arguments in the closely watched trial kicked off in a Virginia courtroom and drew a massive crowd of onlookers.
Google’s opening statement was delivered by attorney Karen Dunn — a top litigator at white-shoe law firm Paul Weiss whose close ties to Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris have generated criticism from anti-monopoly watchdogs, as The Post has reported.
The DOJ and a coalition of US states are seeking a breakup of Google’s advertising business, including a forced divestment of Google’s Ad Manager product.
The feds allege that Google harms publishers and businesses alike by abusing its role as the primary gatekeeper for online ad deals.
“It’s worth saying the quiet part out loud,” DOJ attorney Julia Tarver Wood said during her opening statement. “One monopoly is bad enough. But a trifecta of monopolies is what we have here.”
The trial began just weeks after the DOJ won a stunning victory in a separate case targeting Google’s dominance over online search.