A US judge says Google has a monopoly in online advertising. This means Google controls a big part of the market. The US Department of Justice and 17 states sued Google. They said Google was breaking the law by dominating online ads.
This is the second time this year that Google lost an antitrust case. Earlier, a judge ruled that Google also has a monopoly on online search. Google will appeal this decision.
Lee-Ann Mulholland, a Google executive, said many publishers choose Google because its ad tools are simple and effective. The judge, Leonie Brinkema, said Google did bad things to keep its power. She said this hurt customers and the competition.
Google’s lawyers believe the case focused too much on the past. They pointed out that other companies like Amazon are also in ad tech.
This ruling is an important win for the US government. It shows that big tech companies can be held accountable. The case will now move to a new phase to decide what happens next. Some people think Google might have to sell parts of its business.
Vocabulary List:
- Monopoly /məˈnɒp.əl.i/ (noun): The exclusive possession or control of the supply or trade in a commodity or service.
- Dominating /ˈdɒm.ɪ.neɪ.tɪŋ/ (verb): Having a commanding influence on; commanding or controlling.
- Antitrust /ˌæn.tiˈtrʌst/ (adjective): Relating to legislation preventing or controlling trusts or monopolies.
- Accountable /əˈkaʊn.tə.bəl/ (adjective): Required or expected to justify actions or decisions; responsible.
- Ruling /ˈruː.lɪŋ/ (noun): An official decision made by a judge or an authority.
- Competition /ˌkɒm.pəˈtɪʃ.ən/ (noun): The activity or condition of competing against others to achieve a goal.
