The case regarding Google’s advertising technology is the first antitrust suit against a Big Tech company brought by the Biden administration. US District Judge Leonie Brinkema’s decision on Friday is a setback for the Justice Department, which sought a jury trial for the case. The DOJ and multiple states have alleged in the ad-tech case that Google bulldozed rivals through anticompetitive mergers and bullied publishers and advertisers into using the company’s proprietary ad technology products.
3 million, according to a Google spokesperson — settled the government’s claim for damages and that a jury was no longer needed to try the case. In a statement, a Google spokesperson, Peter Schottenfels, celebrated Brinkema’s decision. “DOJ’s contrived damages claim has disintegrated. We’re glad the Court ruled that this case will be tried by a judge,” Schottenfels said.