Google will appear in US court over antitrust claims

A federal judge on Friday ruled that Alphabet’s Google must proceed to trial over U.S. antitrust authorities’ allegations that it unlawfully dominated the online advertising technology market. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, denied Google’s motion for summary judgment during the hearing, pointing out that court records show there are factual disputes requiring a trial.

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Google sought to avoid a lawsuit by arguing that antitrust laws do not prohibit companies from deciding not to cooperate with competitors, and also argued that regulators had not precisely defined the market for ad technology services.

Details of the judge’s reasoning during the hearing were not disclosed in court documents. Such motions for summary judgment are generally granted when no factual disputes remain.

The trial, scheduled to start on September 9, will be presided over by Judge Brinkema, who is expected to hear arguments and evidence presented by both sides.

In response to the ruling, a Google spokesperson expressed his willingness to clarify his position during the trial, stating: “We look forward to clarity.”

The U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of states filed a lawsuit against Google last year, accusing the tech giant of illegally monopolizing the digital advertising market and charging excessive fees to users. The primary goal of the lawsuit is to restructure Google’s digital advertising business to increase competition in the industry.

A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment on the latest developments.

In addition, Judge Brinkema agreed Friday with regulators to withhold testimony from a former FBI agent acting as a cybersecurity consultant for Google who was offered as an expert witness at the trial.

Last week, Google won a procedural victory when Judge Brinkema ruled that a jury trial, rather than a jury, should be held following the company’s settlement of claims that its conduct harmed the U.S. government.

*Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York; Editing: Nick Ziemiński*