Rumble, a prominent competitor to YouTube, has escalated its battle against Google with a groundbreaking $1 billion lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of California, alleges that Google has misused its dominant position in the advertising technology (ad tech) landscape to undercut Rumble’s competitive edge and deprive it of significant ad earnings.
According to the complaint obtained by Reclaim The Net, Rumble claims that Google “exploits significant conflicts of interest” by leveraging its multiple roles in the ad tech marketplace. The lawsuit accuses Google of skimming an undue share of advertising revenue that should rightfully benefit publishers like Rumble and its content creators.
This is not Rumble’s first legal challenge against the tech giant. In 2021, the company accused Google of illegally prioritizing YouTube content in its search engine and Android operating system, a case that is still ongoing.
The latest lawsuit outlines several key complaints regarding Google’s alleged antitrust violations and unfair competition practices in the ad tech industry. Rumble alleges that Google has maintained and abused its monopoly power in various sectors of the online advertising market, including ad servers, ad exchanges, and ad networks.
The complaint also accuses Google of engaging in anticompetitive practices, such as unlawful tying, exclusionary conduct, and entering into agreements like the “Jedi Blue Agreement” with Facebook to obstruct competition from header bidding technologies.
Rumble claims that Google’s actions have directly harmed its business by reducing the ad revenue it could generate from its video platform. The company is seeking both monetary damages, believed to exceed $1 billion, and injunctive relief to address the alleged antitrust violations.
This lawsuit represents Rumble’s latest effort to challenge Google’s dominance in the ad tech industry and protect its own competitive position in the online video market.