U.S. v. Google (Advertising) Remedy Hearings Set for September

Google is most of the way through the remedy hearing in U.S. v. Google, but that’s for the search monopoly case. It also has a second major antitrust remedy hearing ahead of it, this time for U.S. v. Google, the advertising monopoly case. Those hearings are now set for September.

All signs are that this will go as poorly for the recidivist monopolist, as Google is referred to now, as its search-based remedy hearings.

“Judge schedules Google Ad Tech remedies trial for September 22,” a journalist present in a court hearing today tweeted. “Google argued during the hearing that any divestiture would be inappropriate because it would hurt advertisers if they lost access to Google’s tools. Judge Brinkema seemed skeptical of those arguments.”

“Google’s willingness to make behavioral changes and have a ‘hall monitor’ is going nowhere,” another journalist at the hearing tweeted. “The tea leaves from the Court were very clear to me. Google is trying to maintain access to the 90 percent of the publishers sites (which losing Chrome would make even more challenging) … : Google’s legal arguments [that] divestiture isn’t allowed came across [as] super weak in the courtroom. Judge Brinkema didn’t even ask to be briefed on them and said she doesn’t seduce easily.”

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled that Google’s monopoly in online ads is illegal in mid-April, and today’s hearing was to set up the process for determining the correct remedies to prevent further abuses. The U.S. government could submit its remedy proposal as soon as next week, though it has indicated that it wants to divest at least some ad businesses from Google. The remedy hearings are scheduled for September 22.