ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (Reuters) – Google, under its parent company Alphabet (GOOGL.O), is set to go to trial in September regarding antitrust actions that might require the company to divest part of its advertising technology division. This is all about tackling Google’s stronghold on tools that online publishers use to sell ads.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria announced the trial date on Friday after discussions took place between Google’s team and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) about potential solutions to the situation.
Both parties are expected to submit more detailed proposals on Monday.
The DOJ is aiming to have Google divest its ad exchange and publisher ad server segment, a process that could drag on for several years, according to DOJ attorney Julia Tarver Wood.
On the other hand, Google’s representative, Karen Dunn, stated that the company was more in favor of behavioral solutions—such as allowing real-time bids for competitors—but argued that legally, the prosecution couldn’t force a sale of business components.
Dunn also warned that such a sale could harm internet users and mentioned a probable lack of interested buyers.
Publisher ad servers are essential for websites, storing and managing the digital ad space they have available. Together with ad exchanges, these tools enable news publishers and other online content platforms to monetize their offerings through advertising.
Earlier in April, Brinkema determined that Google had improperly linked the use of its ad exchange to its ad server, implementing anticompetitive practices that were “not in the best interests of its publisher clients.” She pointed out that these actions not only hurt competition but also adversely affected publishers and, ultimately, internet users.
Interestingly, Google had considered selling its ad exchange in the past as a way to satisfy European antitrust regulators, as reported by Reuters back in September.
