Rumble has initiated a lawsuit against Google and its parent company, Alphabet. This lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of California, seeks over $1 billion in damages from Google. The damages relate to lost advertising revenue, with Rumble alleging that Google exploited its dominant position in advertising technology to undermine Rumble’s competitive position.
Rumble claims that Google’s actions have deprived it of significant advertising revenue. Initially a Google ad client, Rumble developed its own ad technology in 2022 and now asserts that Google’s monopolistic behavior has skewed the ad tech market to its benefit.
According to the complaint, “Google exploits significant conflicts of interest that stem from its multiple roles in this electronically traded marketplace.” It also accuses Google of taking an excessive share of advertising revenue, which Rumble argues should benefit publishers like itself and its content creators.
This is not Rumble’s first legal challenge against Google. In 2021, Rumble accused Google of illegally favoring YouTube content in its search engine and Android operating system. That case is ongoing after a court ruling against Google’s motion to dismiss.
The new lawsuit details several key complaints against Google. Rumble alleges that Google has maintained and abused monopoly power in various sectors of the online advertising market, including control over ad servers, ad exchanges, and ad networks. The complaint states, “Google has been able to garner a monopolist’s share of the advertising markets, and with it, a monopolist’s profits at the expense of Rumble and its content creators, of consumers and of competition.”
Rumble’s CEO Chris Pavlov has also hinted that he has some damning information about Google that he intends to release sometime soon
Google’s true colors will be demonstrated when I decide to reveal a public video our legal team uncovered from the deep depths of the internet. ⏳
— Chris Pavlovski (@chrispavlovski) May 14, 2024
The lawsuit also accuses Google of engaging in unlawful tying, exclusionary conduct, and agreements that harm competitors. It mentions a deal with Facebook, known as the “Jedi Blue Agreement,” which allegedly obstructed competition from header bidding technologies. The complaint states, “Ultimately, Google and Facebook reached an agreement, known within Google as the Jedi Blue Agreement, that removed Facebook from header bidding.”
Rumble claims that Google’s practices have directly harmed its business by reducing potential ad revenue. The complaint details Google’s strategies that allegedly forced Rumble to use Google’s ad technologies under unfavorable terms, limiting its ability to compete and generate revenue: “Google’s conduct in this regard has not only harmed Rumble but also its content creators and other similarly situated online video platforms.”
Rumble seeks both monetary damages and injunctive relief, with the claimed damages exceeding $1 billion before trebling.