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Advertiser antitrust case against Google dismissed

Judge Beth Labson Freeman ruled the advertisers could refile if they fixed concerns about how they defined Google's market.

The Google sign at one of the company's offices.

A federal judge dismissed an antitrust suit against Google brought by a group of advertisers.

Photo: John Nacion/Getty Images

A federal judge dismissed an antitrust case against Google by a group of advertisers, but will let them refile if they address problems with the complaint, according to a report from Reuters.

Judge Beth Labson Freeman ruled on Thursday that the advertisers did not sufficiently explain which market they claim Google monopolizes, according to Reuters, and criticized a proposed market that "excludes social media display advertising and direct negotiations."

The judge also said the plaintiffs would need to elaborate on why they believe Google's actions with regard to rival systems might be anticompetitive as the idea that a monopolist has a "duty to deal" with competitors is highly controversial in antitrust law.

Google currently faces a range of antitrust complaints, including from government enforcers with the U.S. Justice Department and several states. A coalition led by Texas has focused in on the company's position in online ads.

Ben Brody

Ben Brody (@ BenBrodyDC) is a senior reporter at Protocol focusing on how Congress, courts and agencies affect the online world we live in. He formerly covered tech policy and lobbying (including antitrust, Section 230 and privacy) at Bloomberg News, where he previously reported on the influence industry, government ethics and the 2016 presidential election. Before that, Ben covered business news at CNNMoney and AdAge, and all manner of stories in and around New York. He still loves appearing on the New York news radio he grew up with.

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