Canada: Announced Competition Bureau lawsuit against Google for anti-competitive practices in online advertising

On 28 November 2024, the Competition Bureau of Canada announced it would take legal action against Google based on alleged anti-competitive conduct within the online advertising technology services sector in Canada. The action is taken following an investigation by the Bureau, which identified Google as the predominant provider across the ad tech stack for web advertising. The investigation found that Google has abused its dominant market position by engaging in practices such as unlawfully tying its ad tech tools together, giving its tools preferential access to ad inventory, and setting favourable terms for select publisher customers. The Bureau alleges that these actions have entrenched Google's market dominance, stifled competition, hindered innovation, inflated advertising costs, and diminished publishers' revenues. The Bureau's application to the Competition Tribunal seeks orders to compel Google to divest from two of its ad tech tools, impose a penalty for non-compliance with the Competition Act, and prohibit Google from continuing its anti-competitive practices.