Today, a federal judge agreed with our coalition that Google is a monopoly that has illegally maintained its dominance in the online search marketplace. Google’s practices stifled the open and fair competition needed to drive innovation in the online search and advertising market. This decision is a win for consumers who benefit when businesses operate from the same level playing field in our ever-evolving digital world: https://lnkd.in/e3aqXr7Y

BREAKING: GOOGLE DECLARED A MONOPOLIST | GUILTY OF ANTITRUST VIOLATIONS A federal court has ruled that Google, a dominant player in the search engine market, violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act by maintaining its monopoly through exclusive distribution agreements. The verdict follows a thorough examination of evidence, including millions of documents and testimony from top tech executives. The court found that Google unfairly leveraged its dominance by securing default placements on mobile and desktop devices, preventing competitors like Bing and DuckDuckGo from gaining a foothold. These agreements, worth billions annually, ensured Google’s search engine remained the default choice for users, stifling competition and innovation. The court noted that Google's actions resulted in supracompetitive pricing for general search text ads, enriching the company at the expense of advertisers and consumers. However, the court also found that Google did not hold monopoly power in search advertising and dismissed claims regarding the company's advertising platform, SA360. Source: U.S. Department of Justice https://lnkd.in/eNxfYsks

Case Update - United States of America, v Google LLC, & State of Colorado v. Google LLC On August 5, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (Judge Amit Priyavadan Mehta) delivered a crucial ruling against Google LLC, determining that the tech giant violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act. (which prohibits monopolization or attempts to monopolize any part of trade or commerce) Key findings from the ruling include:   a.    Monopoly Power: Google was found to possess monopoly power in the markets for general search and general search text ads. b.    Exclusive Agreements: Google’s distribution agreements were deemed exclusive and anti-competitive. These agreements have had detrimental effects on market competition. c.     Lack of Procompetitive Justifications: The court found that Google failed to provide valid procompetitive or objective justifications for its exclusive agreements. d.    Supra-Competitive Pricing: Google was found to have exercised its monopoly power by charging supra-competitive prices for general search text ads, leading to significant monopoly profits. The court did not find Google to have monopoly in the broader search advertising market or hold liability for its actions related to the SA360 advertising platform. Additionally, the court declined to sanction Google for failing to preserve chat messages.  For those interested, a copy of the judgment has been attached for reference. This ruling represents a significant moment in antitrust enforcement, potentially reshaping the competitive dynamics in digital markets. A detailed analysis of the judgment will follow shortly. Stay tuned for further insights and analysis! #Antitrust #ShermanAct #Google #monopoly #CompetitionLaw #TechRegulation #techlaws #antitrustlawyernetwork l #Digitalmarkets #ArtificialIntelligence #USA #Distribution #Technology #Evidence #Meta #Yahoo #Microsoft https://lnkd.in/efNY4qXV

😱 Is this the end of Google? The U.S. antitrust authorities have officially declared Google a monopoly in online search 🌐. Now, Google faces serious challenges, and plenty of courtroom battles will be ahead. Possible measures that could be imposed on Google include: - Forced sale of Google Ads. - Sale of Android and Chrome. - Ban on exclusive search contracts. - Requirement to share data with competitors like Bing or DuckDuckGo. Let's just say, things are about to get interesting. Google has already paid hefty fines and will likely face more in the future. My prediction is that this process will drag on, and no services will be separated from the company. However, Google will likely have to negotiate with competitors and share some of its resources. 💰 And an interesting fact about their revenue: About two-thirds of Google’s total revenue comes from search ads, amounting to more than $100 billion in 2020, according to testimony from the 2023 trial. #Google #GoogleAds #USA

#seos, a federal judge has ruled Google maintained an illegal monopoly in advertising and search markets. Here's what you need to know: Google pays Apple and Android $20 billion annually to remain the default search engine on those devices. This, among other reasons, has led to Google's search monopoly increasing from 80% to 90% in just over 10 years. Judge Amit Mehta, who oversaw the 10 week trial last fall, stated "Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly". Google, unsurprisingly, plans to appeal the decision. What does this mean for the #seo world? Are we all going to have to start optimizing for Bing? Probably not any time soon. The legal world moves slowly. The remedy for this monopoly has yet to be decided as well. But there is another DOJ trial against Google for its monopoly over the ad tech business started September 9th... so more changes are guaranteed to come. Have you been following these antitrust trials? Do you think the outcomes will change how we work with search?

"Google Faces Antitrust Trial Over Advertising Practices" The U.S. Justice Department is suing Google for dominating the online advertising market. Here’s a quick rundown: 1)Big Revenue: Google makes over $200 billion from ads, keeping up to 36%. 2)Potential Breakup: The lawsuit could lead to breaking up Google’s ad business. 3)Monopoly Claims: Google is accused of having a monopoly on ad servers and networks. 4)Google’s Defense: Google argues it charges fair fees and offers tech that improves ads. This trial could change online advertising! #Google #Antitrust #Advertising #OnlineAds #Monopoly #TechRegulation #Competition #DigitalMarketing #BusinessLaw #RegulatoryNews

Just in, Google has lost its antitrust case over search practices. For years, Google's dominance has been unchallenged, with its algorithms and advertising practices setting the pace for the entire industry. This has left consumers with fewer alternatives, effectively funnelling users through a single gateway to the internet. What will this ruling mean for consumers and marketeers? With search already evolving with searchGPT and perplexity paving the way, will this finally mean a more competitive market? https://lnkd.in/e56XYUB7

Is Google intentionally inflating your ad costs? 🤔 The US Department of Justice says yes. And here's why: The DOJ recently found Google were jacking up ad prices by as much as 10%. This comes after Google admitted to "frequently" inflating auctions by 5%. While Google claims these are minor adjustments, advertisers suspect the real number is much higher. We've unpacked some of the key findings from the recent antitrust trial, and what this means for advertisers. Swipe through to learn how Google's manipulation might be impacting your campaigns, and what steps you can take to protect your budget! #GoogleAds #PPC #Antitrust

Google's manipulation impacting your campaigns?! 🤔 Have a little read of the key takeaways from the recent antitrust trial below ⬇⬇⬇

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