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Business Insider sues Google, alleges monopoly in digital ads
The complaint further argued that millions of small and medium-sized advertisers rely exclusively on Google Ads to bid for digital ad space — demand that publishers can only access if they sell through AdX.
This legal action comes alongside a separate case filed by independent adtech firm PubMatic in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Business Insider has filed a lawsuit against Google, accusing the tech giant of unlawfully monopolising the digital advertising market through anti-competitive practices.
In an 89-page complaint, the publication alleged that Google exploits its control over publisher ad serving to dictate how advertising inventory is sold, giving itself an unfair edge over rival exchanges.
According to the filing, Google’s strategy hinges on the integration of its publisher ad server, DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP), with its ad exchange, AdX. Business Insider claimed this setup allows Google to suppress competition and limit revenue opportunities for publishers.
“With that control, Google routs publishers’ inventory to its own exchange without having to compete against rival exchanges,” the lawsuit stated.
The complaint further argued that millions of small and medium-sized advertisers rely exclusively on Google Ads to bid for digital ad space — demand that publishers can only access if they sell through AdX. Business Insider said this dependency leaves publishers with no practical alternative to reach these advertisers.
The lawsuit also accused Google of manipulating ad auctions and real-time bidding. It pointed to practices such as the ‘Last Look’ feature, which allegedly let Google see competitors’ bids before placing its own, and ‘Dynamic Allocation,’ which pits non-guaranteed demand against guaranteed campaigns. The filing also criticised the ‘Unified Auctions minimum bid scheme,’ which it said gave Google insider knowledge of the lowest winning bids.
This legal action comes alongside a separate case filed by independent adtech firm PubMatic in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. PubMatic is seeking damages and reforms, alleging Google’s “monopolistic and anticompetitive behaviour” has hindered competition, restricted its market share growth, and reduced revenue opportunities.
Both lawsuits follow an April 2025 ruling by the same court, which found Google had “willfully engaged in a series of anticompetitive acts to acquire and maintain monopoly power” in publisher ad servers and ad exchanges for open-web display advertising.
PubMatic said Google’s dominance has increased ad costs, reduced content diversity, and limited transparency for consumers. The company expressed hopes that the lawsuits would help “restore a more competitive digital advertising landscape — one where innovation can thrive, competition is genuine, and the open internet continues to serve as a broad source of information and opportunity.”
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