Rural publication mounting class action against Google’s ad tech monopoly

The Riverine Grazier – a rural publisher in New South Wales – is gearing up to launch a class action against Google over the technology titan’s “alleged misuse of its dominant market position” in the digital display advertising sector.

In a release shared Thursday afternoon, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers – the firm running the class action alongside Phi Finney McDonald – said that the domineering presence of Google’s ad technology platforms within the open display advertising space has resulted in the company allegedly misusing its market power, forcing local publishers to receive less revenue from their open display advertising efforts.

“The Grazier is just one of many thousands of publishers in Australia and worldwide simply trying to earn fair income from online advertising to support the important job of news publishing, who find themselves stifled by Google’s conduct. That’s why we have stepped forward to lead this action,” Krista Schade, general manager at Riverine Grazier, explained.