Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in the U.S., is;suing Google and its parent company, Alphabet, alleging that the search giant is monopolizing ad technology.;
The Virginia-headquartered media company claims that Google exercises control over ad technology tools for buying and selling online ads.;
- The suit, which was filed in the U.S. Court for the Southern District of New York, states that Google's control over how publishers sell their ad slots forces publishers to sell ad space to Alphabet at a reduced rate, thus lowering the potential revenue for both publishers and Google's ad tech competitors.
- Gannett is seeking a trial by jury and is asking for an unspecified amount of damages and injunctive relief.;
- Google has been under fire for its digital ad dominance in the U.S. and the European Union (EU.) The European Commission recently launched a formal antitrust complaint against Google's ad business, and in Jan., the U.S. Justice Dept. sued Google;over its monopoly over the ecosystem of online advertising.