WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Alphabet’s (NASDAQ:) Google on Thursday asked for a non-jury trial in a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit accusing the advertising and search giant of anti-competitive practices in the online advertising market.
The Justice Department, which filed the ad lawsuit in January 2023, said the company abused its dominance in digital advertising and said it should be forced to sell its advertising manager stake.
Google said the Justice Department’s request for a jury trial was contrary to “all historical precedent” and noted that the department itself has said the technical nature may be difficult for a potential juror to understand.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Google’s online advertising network, which includes the advertising manager, contributed 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 said the Justice Department’s case “went beyond the scope of antitrust law,” saying it did not regulate the conduct of the internet company at issue.