The US government has now asked a federal judge to split Google’s advertising operations because the company is accused of operating an illegal monopoly. Google faced its second major lawsuit in one year during a Virginia court hearing.
Government lawyer Julia Tarver Wood labeled Google as a “recidivist monopolist” while stating that the company’s behavior modification does not solve the problem. She maintained that Google needs to break up its ad tech business to stop future instances of abuse. Wood expressed skepticism about Google’s proposed commitments by stating that behavioral remedies are insufficient to stop the company from discovering new ways to dominate the market.
The request to separate Google’s operations corresponds with another case that targets the Chrome browser. The government claims in both cases that Google restricts users and businesses from leaving its ecosystem while blocking other competitors from entering.
The court previously established that Google established an unlawful monopoly within the ad publishing tools and software sector which websites and content creators and small publishers extensively use. The court rejected only specific claims about advertiser tools.
The United States demands Google to separate its ad exchange operations from publisher-side ad tech but Google prefers to accept commitments and monitoring instead. During the trial Karen Dunn admitted that trust issues persist between the parties but stated that business separation would be an excessive measure.
The court asked both parties to pursue a mediated settlement before the full trial resumes in September since a prolonged courtroom battle would be expensive and time-consuming.
