Observed Signal · Aug 4, 2026 · Lawsuit · Source: Adweek · Impact: 5/5 · Sentiment: Negative
Teads Sues Google Over Ongoing Ad Auction Abuses
Teads filed an 85‑page antitrust lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York alleging Google/Alphabet maintained anti-competitive ad‑tech practices after promising reforms. The complaint accuses Google of tying Google Ads to AdX, preserving auction mechanics such as Last Look/First Look and a bid‑rigging scheme dubbed 'Project Bernanke,' and asserts those practices deprived rival exchanges of scale — roughly 6.88 trillion impressions from 2017–2023 (methodology not disclosed). Teads seeks treble, punitive and other restitutionary damages, warned of investor risk ahead of Q2 results, and notes it still maintains commercial ties with Google. The filing follows a federal ruling in the Eastern District of Virginia finding Google liable for monopolising the open‑web display exchange market, joins suits by other SSPs, and comes amid EU and UK regulatory scrutiny; Google calls the claims meritless and has moved to dismiss.
A major SSP suing Google over alleged ongoing ad exchange and auction mechanics follows a landmark April 2025 federal ruling and is part of a broader wave of litigation that could force structural changes to open-web ad auctions and platform behavior.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Teads filed an 85-page antitrust lawsuit in the Southern District of New York alleging Google/Alphabet maintained anti-competitive ad-tech practices.
- The complaint alleges tying Google Ads to AdX, preserving auction mechanics (Last Look/First Look) and 'Project Bernanke,' and claims these actions cost rival exchanges about 6.88 trillion impressions (2017–2023; methodology not disclosed).
- Teads seeks treble, punitive and other restitutionary damages and warned of investor risk ahead of Q2 results; Google called the allegations meritless and has moved to dismiss.
- The filing follows an Eastern District of Virginia ruling that found Google liable for monopolising the open-web display exchange market, joins suits by other SSPs (Magnite, OpenX, PubMatic), and SDNY ordered coordination.
- Regulatory scrutiny continues in the EU (provisional ruling against Google's ad stack with a potential €2.95 billion implication) and the UK (CMA conduct requirements); Teads still maintains commercial relationships with Google, including CTV.
Connected Companies & Entities
9 Entities mapped“Teads, an adtech platform that helps web and mobile publishers monetize their digital content, is suing Google, claiming some anti-competiti...”
“A Google spokesperson called the allegations “meritless” in a statement to ADWEEK, adding, “Advertisers and publishers have many choices, an...”
“Teads is the fifth supply-side platform (SSP) to sue Google over the last year, joining a roster of litigants that includes Index Exchange, ...”
“Teads is the fifth supply-side platform (SSP) to sue Google over the last year, joining a roster of litigants that includes Index Exchange, ...”
“Teads is the fifth supply-side platform (SSP) to sue Google over the last year, joining a roster of litigants that includes Index Exchange, ...”
“Teads is the fifth supply-side platform (SSP) to sue Google over the last year, joining a roster of litigants that includes Index Exchange, ...”
““We believe Google’s practices artificially suppressed fair competition and hindered innovation,” Teads CEO David Kostman told ADWEEK....”
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Teads Sues Google; Apple Challenges UK Encryption Demands
A digest covering three items: Teads has filed an 85-page lawsuit against Google alleging continued anti-competitive ad practices that cost rival exchanges an estimated 6.88 trillion impressions between 2017 and 2023; Teads is the fifth SSP to sue Google after an April 2025 ruling found some Google ad tech practices unlawful. Apple has renewed legal action against the UK government by filing a complaint with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal over a technical capability notice demanding access to encrypted iCloud backups for UK users. Separately, Guideline SMI data shows the Australian advertising market returned to growth in June (+0.3% year‑on‑year) with first-half calendar-year growth of 0.4%; notable sector moves include government advertising (+50.1%) and retail online digital (+44.1%).
Google's Buy-Side Antitrust Problem: Third-Price Auctions
The article argues that scrutiny has focused on Google’s sell-side antitrust concerns while buy-side practices remain underexamined. It notes DV360 as the largest DSP but with under 50% market share, and positions Google Ads as competing with Meta, Amazon, and TikTok for advertiser budgets. Civil cases are referenced as evidence of anti-competitive buy-side behavior, including “third-price auctions” during AdWords bidding into AdX. The piece details how Google’s quant team allegedly solved low auction competition by feeding the top two AdWords bids into AdX, causing the winning bid to be priced near the second bid. It states that more than 90% of AdWords spend goes to AdX, with an estimated $6B of spend per year affected by these practices (about $30B over a decade). The narrative notes this mechanism persisted until 2018 and suggests potential treble damages under the Sherman Act, framing a significant liability risk for Google and broader buy-side exposure in AdTech.
OpenX Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google
Adtech company OpenX has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google, alleging the tech giant used programs including "Project Poirot" and other manipulative tactics to rig ad auctions, destroyed OpenX’s ad server business, and is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. The complaint says OpenX closed its ad server division in 2019 and laid off nearly half its workforce as a direct result. The filing follows a recent DOJ victory against Google’s ad tech business and reiterates claims of auction manipulation and illegal tying arrangements that a Virginia federal court previously found unlawful. The suit highlights ongoing legal fallout from the Google ad tech monopoly ruling and may encourage more private damages actions, even as OpenX continues to partner with Google Cloud on other initiatives.
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