Google seeks non-jury trial in US ad tech lawsuit, filing says

[May 17, 2024]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Alphabet's Google in a court filing on Thursday is seeking a non-jury trial in the U.S. Justice Department's lawsuit accusing the advertising and search giant of anticompetitive practices in the online advertising marketplace.

A Google sign is pictured on a Google building in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., October 20, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo

The Justice Department, which filed the advertising lawsuit in January 2023, alleged the company has abused its dominance of the digital advertising business and argued that it should be forced to sell its ad manager suite.

Google said the Justice Department's request for a jury trial breaks "with all historical precedent" and noted the department itself has said the technical nature might be difficult for a prospective juror to understand.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Google’s online advertising network, which includes ad manager, brought in 12% of the company’s revenue in 2021 and also plays a vital role in the search engine and cloud company's overall sales.

Google has said the Justice Department's case went "beyond the boundaries of antitrust law," saying it does not regulate the internet company's conduct at issue.

(Reporting by Chris Sanders; Editing by Sonali Paul)

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