The watchdog is interested in compelling Google to sell two of its advertising technology products.
Google is being sued by Canada’s antitrust authority in an effort to compel the company to dismantle its advertising technology division. The Competition Bureau issued a statement on Thursday, over the Thanksgiving break in the United States, stating that a “thorough” inquiry had determined that Google had misused its dominant position in programmatic web advertising in order to “maintain and entrench its market power.”
To be more specific, the watchdog has accused Google of providing its own tools with favoritism in terms of access to internet advertising inventory. The Competition Bureau asserts that the corporation also took a financial penalty on certain transactions in an effort to disadvantage competitors platforms. Furthermore, the bureau claims that the company even went so far as to dictate the terms under which its own clients might conduct business with competing ad technology businesses.
A number of solutions are being considered by the Competition Bureau, one of which is to compel Google to sell two of its advertising technology tools. The agency is also requesting that the corporation pay a fine for the behavior that it has displayed.
An quick response from Google was not provided in response to Newtechmania’s request for a comment. The complaint, according to Google, “ignores the intense competition where ad buyers and sellers have plenty of choice,” according to a statement that Google sent with Reuters. A statement was made by the IT giant stating that it is excited to present its case in court. According to a separate statement made by Dan Taylor, vice president of Global Ads at Google, “Our advertising technology tools help websites and apps fund their content and enable businesses of all sizes to effectively reach new customers.”
According to Matthew Boswell, Canada’s Commissioner of Competition, “The Competition Bureau conducted an extensive investigation that found that Google has abused its dominant position in online advertising in Canada by engaging in conduct that locks market participants into using its own ad tech tools, excluding competitors, and distorting the competitive process.” This announcement was made after the Competition Bureau conducted an investigation that was extensive in nature.
“As a result of Google’s actions, competitors have been unable to compete on the basis of the qualities of what they have to offer, which has been detrimental to Canadian advertisers, publishers, and consumers. In order to put an end to this behavior and the negative repercussions it has in Canada, we are going to take our case to the Tribunal.
The action comes at a time when Google is attempting to defend itself against a separate move by the United States Department of Justice to dismantle the advertising arm of the company. Monday was the day when both parties presented their concluding arguments in that case, and it is possible that a ruling will be announced as early as the next week.
As of 11/29, 4:30 am Eastern Time: “Our advertising technology tools help websites and apps fund their content, and they enable businesses of all sizes to effectively reach new customers,” said Dan Taylor, who is the Vice President of Global Ads at Google. In spite of the intense competition in this industry, Google continues to be dedicated to the generation of value for both publisher and advertiser partners. This accusation from the CCB ignores the significant competition that exists in the market, where buyers and sellers of advertisements have a wide variety of options, and we are looking forward to arguing our case in court.