A federal judge ruled Thursday that Google holds an illegal monopoly in two online advertising markets — the latest in a series of blows by Washington against the trillion-dollar tech giant.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema wrote that Google violated U.S. antitrust law by “willfully acquiring and maintaining monopoly power” over web advertising. Brinkema said Google illegally tied together its products to maintain its monopoly.
The ruling represents Google’s second major antitrust loss in less than a year. In August, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta found that the search giant illegally monopolized the online search and advertising markets over the prior decade.
The ruling adds to a whole suite of issues facing Google in Washington. On Monday, Mehta is set to consider the DOJ’s request to break up the company over its control of the search market. And top Republicans in Congress are calling Google on the carpet over its perceived unfairness to conservatives, adding political friction to its legal challenges.
Google’s adtech case will now move to the remedies phase, where both parties will submit arguments on what penalties and changes the tech giant should face.