The Department of Justice will present its case in a trial starting on Monday, claiming Alphabet, the parent firm of the search engine, is operating an illegal monopoly in the market.
Through the placement and sale of advertisements that internet users saw, the firm made over $200 billion (£152 billion) in revenue last year.
Prosecutors claim Alphabet has exploited its market dominance to suppress competitors, despite the company’s claim that the “effectiveness” of its services is the reason for its success.
“It is a very significant industry that takes in billions of dollars from consumers annually,” University of Georgia School of Law professor Laura Phillips-Sawyer said.
I believe that this lawsuit is in the best interests of all customers.”
This is the tech giant’s second significant antitrust complaint in the United States.
It is currently unknown what penalties Google and Alphabet may incur as a result of the August court ruling that their domination of search is illegal.
In 2023, the Department of Justice (DoJ) and a group of states filed a lawsuit alleging that Google is the market leader in digital ads and has used its dominance to hinder competition and innovation.
In the meantime, Google argues that it is only one of several hundred businesses that help distribute digital advertisements in front of customers.
