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.
“Our online stories are read across the globe, and our website is accessed by readers every single day, yet the remuneration to us from using Google’s services is a pittance. We think it is unfairly low,” she continued.
“Google’s practices have affected publishers of all sizes, all over the world. If large news organisations feel powerless, you can only imagine how The Grazier feels. We cannot negotiate with a global power such as Google.”
Miranda Nagy, principal at Maurice Blackburn, said that the Riverine Grazier’s case is another in a list of proceedings that have occurred in other countries.
“Google’s conduct has been under scrutiny around the world. The potential class action follows similar proceedings in the USA and class actions in the UK Competition Tribunal and Canada, as well as action by regulators,” Nagy said.
“In Australia, an ACCC inquiry into digital advertising in 2021 identified significant competition concerns and considered that Google’s conflicts of interest had led to poor outcomes for publishers,” she added.
“The ACCC said that Google engaged in a range of conduct that froze out competitors and entrenched its dominant position, likely interfering with the competitive process. Our case is that this conduct breached competition laws and was unconscionable.”
The class action is set to be flagged at a Federal Court hearing on Friday, and will aim to be officially filed before February 14 with the Court.
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Matthew is the editorial assistant at Mumbrella. He joined the company at the end of September 2023.
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