DOJ and Google make closing arguments in landmark adtech antitrust trial

After weeks of intense testimony and mountains of evidence, the Department of Justice and Google rested their case with closing arguments in the Google adtech antitrust trial in federal court.

Making the government’s case Monday morning, DOJ attorneys cited the Charles Dickens novel “A Tale of Two Cities” to contrast Google’s portrayal of a thriving sector industry with the darker reality faced by publishers and adtech providers. Meanwhile, Google’s lawyers challenged the government’s interpretation of the market as insufficient to prove harm and described an industry with growth, innovation and plenty of competition.

The industry now awaits a ruling expected in the coming months. However, observers say the questions and comments from U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema might offer a glimpse as to what she might be thinking about the facts of the case. Some said Brinkema seemed to understand that open web display ads aren’t the same as other ad formats, which seemed to signal the judge wasn’t fully persuaded by Google’s claims of not being a monopoly. 

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