1. Canada takes Google to court over anti-competition practices
Canada’s Competition Bureau has sued Alphabet’s Google for engaging in anti-competitive practices in the sector of web advertising. This legal action is due to an investigation that commenced in 2020 and widened in early 2021 to cover Google’s advertising technology services. The Bureau has approached the Competition Tribunal to obtain an order which would compel Google to sell two of its ad tech tools. Also, it seeks penalties in order to compel Google to abide by the competition laws of Canada. This lawsuit is part of the multiple global Google antitrust issues that have been observed in the market.
2. Google’s Response to the Allegations
To the lawsuit, Google has stood its ground by pointing out that the claims deny the competitiveness of the advertising industry. Google stated that both the ad buyers and sellers have enough opportunities to use tools and platforms. Google’s VP of Global Ads, Dan Taylor, explained that their advertising technology supports websites and apps with monetization while helping businesses of all sizes target new customers. Google has avowed its readiness to challenge the Google antitrust lawsuit in court.
3. Results of Investigations and Facts of Market Manipulation
According to the Competition Bureau’s investigation, Google is in a monopolistic position with regards to digital advertising in Canada. It accuses the company of having engaged in market abuse, which has seen it cement its position in the market while closing out competitors. This discovery is important because it means Google has been using its dominance to make unfair demands to keep its market dominance within the ad tech sector, further fueling the case against Google antitrust cases.
4. Global Context: The two antitrust cases brought against Google are the US and the European one.
The legal fight against Google is not limited to Canada only. In the United States, the Justice Department has been pressing an antitrust claim against it, stating that the firm had engaged in the unlawful acquisition and maintenance of a monopoly in the market for publisher advertising servers and advertiser advertising networks. Google has stated that the U.S. government case fails to consider competition and intense rivalry in the larger web advertising market. This current Google antitrust case in the U.S. mirrors other investigations in Europe where Google tried to settle an antitrust probe by offering to sell its ad exchange. But European publishers dismissed it as inadequate, which may mean that the company’s attempts to solve its monopoly issue may not be sufficient to appease regulators.
5. The Three Arguments that Google Uses in Order to Defend Its Ad Tech Practices
Google continues to argue that their advertising technology is in the best interest of the web environment, and that it enables various websites and apps, as well as small and big businesses. The company’s defense is that these things are business strategies aimed at stimulating competition and offering tools to consumers. Google also says that the cases filed against it do not paint the true picture of competition that it experiences in the context of online advertising, including those under the Google antitrust cases
6. A Look at the Future of the Google Antitrust Cases
The current Google antitrust cases around the world are defining how the discourse on tech monopolies affect consumers and companies. The verdicts in these cases, including the one in Canada, could have major consequences for the regulation of online advertising and whether or not companies like Google will be subjected to even higher levels of scrutiny. While these cases emerge, the analysis of the excess market power of Google will only gain momentum.
source:: msn.com
