On Monday, Google goes to trial in the remedies phase of the U.S. Department of Justice’s case about some of our advertising technologies. We disagree with the Court’s initial decision and will appeal it, but the process requires that we first work out remedies. DOJ’s proposed changes go far beyond the Court’s liability decision and the law, and risk harming businesses across the country.
In this case, even though the Court found that our acquisitions didn’t harm competition, DOJ wants us to unwind them. It’s calling for a divestiture of Google Ad Manager, a tool that helps publishers and advertisers buy and sell web, app, connected TV, and video ads. Breaking apart integrated tools would make it harder for publishers to monetize their content and more expensive for advertisers to reach new customers, disproportionately hurting the small businesses who choose to use Google’s tools to grow.
In contrast, our proposal fully addresses the Court’s findings and what the DOJ’s own witnesses asked for during the liability phase, without harming our customers. We propose building on Ad Manager’s interoperability, letting publishers use third-party tools to access our advertiser bids in real-time.
We’ve said from the start that DOJ’s case misunderstands how digital advertising works and ignores how the landscape has dramatically evolved, with increasing competition and new entrants. Getting the remedies right in this new environment will be key to addressing concerns without breaking what’s working, and we look forward to making our case in court.
