Five major US publishers have filed lawsuits against Google claiming its “deceptive and manipulative” adtech practices seriously limited their potential revenue.
Rolling Stone owner Penske Media Corporation (plus its subsidiary She Media), Conde Nast owner Advance Publications, The Verge owner Vox Media, local newspaper giant McClatchy, and The Atlantichave all filed cases against Google in the past week.
The actions come after the US Justice Department successfully sued Google for violating antitrust law by monopolising digital advertising markets, harming “Google’s publishing customers” as well as consumers. A ruling on what Google can be made to do to restore competition is expected this year.
The publisher lawsuits allege that Google used its dominance over ad servers and ad exchanges to force publishers into its ecosystem, stifle competition and drive down online prices.
They say Google could see rivals’ bids through its ad exchange before submitting its own, allowing it to keep prices deliberately low.
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