Canada’s Competition Bureau has initiated a legal battle against Google, accusing the tech giant of monopolizing the country’s online advertising market. The antitrust complaint, filed with the Competition Tribunal, seeks to compel Google to divest two of its advertising technology tools and impose a financial penalty on the company.
The Bureau alleges that Google has unfairly leveraged its dominance to stifle competition and limit opportunities for rival firms. According to Yahoo, the lawsuit claims Google employed tactics that locked market participants into its ecosystem of ad technology tools, thereby distorting competition and hampering innovation in the Canadian digital advertising industry.
Commissioner of Competition Matthew Boswell emphasized the seriousness of the allegations, stating, “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.”
Allegations of Market Distortion
The Bureau’s complaint further contends that Google unlawfully bundled its ad-tech tools, granting them an undue advantage in online advertising auctions. It alleges that Google ensured its tools had preferential access to ad inventory while enforcing restrictive agreements on publishers using competing technologies.
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These actions, the Bureau argues, have entrenched Google’s market dominance and limited the ability of other firms to compete based on the quality and cost of their offerings.
Google’s Defense
Google has pushed back against the allegations, maintaining that the online advertising sector is highly competitive. The company has highlighted the availability of alternatives from other major players such as Amazon and Microsoft. According to Yahoo, Google has also defended its ad-tech solutions as being cost-effective, secure, and efficient, positioning them as valuable tools in a competitive market.
This lawsuit mirrors similar challenges faced by Google in the United States, where the Department of Justice has also accused the company of monopolistic practices in the advertising technology space.
Source: Yahoo