Alphabet Inc's Google has formally requested a federal court in Virginia to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), which alleges that the tech giant engaged in anticompetitive behavior in the online advertising market.

In January 2023, the DOJ brought forward a case accusing Google of abusing its dominant position in digital advertising, specifically pointing to its ad manager suite. This system is crucial to Google's revenue, contributing 12% to the company's income in 2021 and playing a significant role in its search engine and cloud services sales.

Google's defense, submitted to the court on Friday, argued that the DOJ's claims overreach the scope of antitrust laws. In a statement, the company claimed that the lawsuit targets "lawful choices about whom to do business with and product improvements that benefited Google’s customers," suggesting that the government's case is "doomed" to fail.

The Justice Department has chosen not to comment on Google’s recent legal move.

The government's initial complaint in 2023 described Google's actions as "anticompetitive, exclusionary, and unlawful," accusing the company of using various means to maintain its dominance in digital advertising technologies. Notably, Google's advertising business accounts for approximately three-quarters of its total revenue.

The case is scheduled for trial in September at the U.S. District Court in Virginia, overseen by Judge Leonie Brinkema. Judge Brinkema has the authority to limit the lawsuit's scope or dismiss it entirely before the trial. Both parties have the option to request summary judgment—a procedure that involves a fact-based examination of the case's merits.

In addition to the DOJ lawsuit, Google is facing a separate legal challenge scheduled for trial in March 2025. This case, held in a Texas federal court, involves allegations from Texas and other states that Google has similarly abused its dominance in the digital ads market.

Reuters Article