Keller Rohrback is investigating whether Google’s advertising practices allowed it to gain an illegal monopoly that has caused publishers and online newspapers to miss out on ad revenue. If you are a publisher or online newspaper and have used Google’s advertising services at any time between January 1, 2016 and now, Keller Rohrback wants to hear from you. Please contact our antitrust attorneys at [email protected], (800) 776-6044, or by using the secure form on this page.
With over $145 billion in annual ad revenue and 90% of the publisher ad server (PAS) market, Google has securely positioned itself as the dominant player in the publisher advertising market. The amount of revenue Google earns from digital advertising is based on the number of ads it sells, the price of those ads, and Google’s “take rate” (i.e. the difference between what an advertiser pays for an ad and what the publisher of the ad receives). When an ad is viewed through a third-party publisher (e.g., New York Times website), Google must pay the publisher a share of the amount the advertiser paid for placing the ad. Google’s take rate is typically 40%, but when the traffic is entirely generated through a Google product, such as Google Search or YouTube, Google keeps the entire price of the ad. In 2018, digital advertising accounted for 70% of Google’s revenue.
Google also controls the primary tools and products used by publishers, minimizing competition and thereby limiting publishers’ revenue. Publishers maximize revenue by offering their inventories to as many advertisers as possible. Were it not for Google’s anticompetitive conduct, publishers would be able to evaluate ad bids from multiple channels simultaneously. However, because Google has rigged the selection process by programming its market dominant Ad Server so that the winning bid from Google’s Ad Exchange is more likely to succeed, publishers are left with little choice.
In short, Google’s allegedly monopolistic strategies have caused financial harm to publishers. If you are a publisher or online newspaper and have used Google’s advertising services at any time between January 1, 2016 and now, please contact us at [email protected], (800) 776-6044, or by using the secure form on this page.
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With offices in Seattle, Phoenix, New York, Missoula, Oakland, and Santa Barbara, Keller Rohrback serves as lead and co-lead counsel in class actions throughout the country. Our Complex Litigation Group is proud to offer its expertise to clients nationwide, and our trial lawyers have obtained judgments and settlements of over $23.25 billion.
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