The Canadian Competition Bureau, in a statement, said it found that Google has abused its number one market position to keep competitors out. — Reuters
WASHINGTON: Canada filed an anti-competitive lawsuit against Google on Thursday for what it says are illegal practices designed to favour the US tech giant's online advertising tools.
The Canadian Competition Bureau, in a statement, said it found that Google has abused its number one market position to keep competitors out.
"Google's conduct has prevented rivals from being able to compete on the merits of what they have to offer, to the detriment of Canadian advertisers, publishers and consumers," said Competition Commissioner Matthew Boswell.
The California-based tech behemoth unlawfully bundled its ad technology tools to keep its market dominance and leveraged its position to distort auction dynamics by which the ads are purchased, the bureau said.
The lawsuit was filed with Canada's Competition Tribunal and asked that Google be required to sell two of its ad tech tools, pay a penalty to promote compliance with the Competition Act and that the firm be prevented from continuing to engage in anti-competitive practices.
Google rejected the complaint, saying there is plenty of competition in the marketplace and it looks forward to defending itself in court, numerous media, including the CBC, reported.
"Our advertising technology tools help websites and apps fund their content, and enable businesses of all sizes to effectively reach new customers," Dan Taylor, vice-president of Global Ads at Google, said in a statement. – dpa
