Today, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia concluded that Google was in violation of federal antitrust law by monopolizing digital advertising technology markets. The ruling is the result of a lawsuit filed in 2023 by Virginia, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice and sixteen other state attorneys general. They accused Google of using exclusionary, deceptive, and anti-competitive strategies to dominate the online display advertising sphere. As per the lawsuit, Google's practices raised advertising costs, limited market innovation, and reduced options for businesses and consumers.
The court plans to hold further hearings on potential remedies in the next few months. Meanwhile, the Virginia Office of the Attorney General has committed to working with state and federal entities to ensure Google's compliance and to protect the interests of Virginia consumers and businesses from anti-competitive conduct.
###