California AG celebrates legal victory after judge finds Google used ad platform dominance to crush competition and inflate prices

Sacramento, California – In an important legal triumph for California, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that a federal judge has found Google guilty of illegally monopolizing the ad tech industry. This decision marks a critical step in addressing anticompetitive practices that have long dominated sectors vital to economic health and consumer rights.

The verdict was the result of a combined lawsuit started in 2023 by the California Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Department of Justice. The lawsuit said Google was using its dominance of internet advertising technologies to hurt competition, raise ad prices, and suppress innovation in a sector where creativity is most important. The court agreed with the plaintiffs, noting Google’s illicit merger of its ad server and ad exchange platforms as a strategic ploy to fend off competitors.

“Advertising is key to a business’s success, and Google has been playing unfairly in the advertising space,” said Attorney General Bonta. He emphasized the detrimental effects of Google’s practices on consumers, small businesses, and web creators, highlighting the importance of competition for fostering a dynamic market.

“As the fifth largest economy in the world, California has an outsized role in protecting competition and a vibrant economy where business can thrive on merits, not on illegal business practices — today, we’ve done just that,” Bonta added.

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The court’s findings are supposed to result in additional steps to determine appropriate remedies for Google’s conduct. Both California and federal officials are advocating actions that would not only punish Google for its illegal acts but also stop future harm to market competition.

Attorney General Bonta’s legal victory is part of a larger campaign to safeguard consumer interests and guarantee fair competition in the technology sector. His agency has been at the forefront of several significant antitrust lawsuits, including a prior verdict in August 2024 finding Google to have an illegal monopoly over search text ads and internet search services.

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Furthermore, Attorney General Bonta filed lawsuits against Amazon in September 2022 for similar anticompetitive conduct allegedly driving up prices and stifling competition in California.

Keeping a good economy depends on antitrust enforcement. It guarantees that ongoing innovation, quality services, and reasonable pricing help consumers. Understanding the need of public involvement in protecting competitive markets, the California Department of Justice has recently launched an Antitrust Complaint Form allowing anyone to notify actions possibly violating antitrust laws.

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A copy of the decision can be found here.