TN AG celebrates ‘significant victory' against Google for alleged monopolies in digital advertising
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced a legal victory Monday after a federal judge ruled that Google violated the law by maintaining illegal monopolies in some of its online marketing technology.
More than two years ago, Skrmetti joined a coalition of 17 attorneys general in suing Google for 'suppressing competition in the digital advertising technology industry.'
RELATED: Multi-state coalition led by TN Attorney General submits final proposed remedies for 'illegal monopoly' by Google
The lawsuit alleged that the technology company's market power allowed it to control nearly every aspect of online sales, permitting it to extract higher fees from advertisers while paying lower amounts to publishers for their ad space.
In a press release, Skrmetti stated that Google's conduct hurt consumers and web publishers by making it harder for websites to make enough money on their advertising inventory, adding that it 'prevented them from offering internet users content for free without subscriptions, paywalls, or alternative form of monetization.'
According to the Associated Press, Google was branded an abusive monopolist by a federal judge on Thursday for 'illegally exploiting some of its marketing technology to boost the profits fueling an internet empire currently worth $1.8 trillion.'
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Skrmetti added the judge also found that the tech giant harmed competition, its customers and Internet users by imposing anticompetitive policies that reduced quality and increased prices.
'When Google reinforces interlocking products to exclude competition in ad sales, it's bad for content producers, it's bad for publishers, and ultimately it's bad for everyone,' said Skrmetti. 'Tennessee is proud to have been a part of this broad bipartisan coalition to hold a tech behemoth accountable and protect consumers.'
A second phase of the trial to determine remedies for Google's conduct will reportedly take place at a later date.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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