Google Warns the EU That It Will Fight Attempts to Break Up Ad Business
- US firm vows to challenge EU’s June antitrust complaint
- EU said that a breakup of Google’s ad business is only option
A Google office building in Dublin, Ireland.
Photographer: Paulo Nunes dos Santos/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Alphabet Inc.’s Google has vowed to fight the European Union’s threat to break up its ad business, setting the scene for an antitrust battle that could eventually rival its ongoing clash with the US Justice Department and state attorneys general.
In a recent letter to EU watchdogs, Google warned it won’t accept the mandatory divestment of part of its services deemed by Margrethe Vestager, the bloc’s currently-on-leave antitrust chief, as “the only way” to restore competition.