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2021-02-02 -Land of the Free

Media Company Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google, Facebook

Get those lawsuits in now, guys. Between the hours of insider recordings shared by Project Veritas, and Democratic threats to stuff the Supreme Court and beyond, the judicial landscape will become increasingly interesting over the next four years.

[EpochTimes] A West Virginia media company that operates several newspapers is suing Google and Facebook for threatening the extinction of local newspapers across the country by their alleged anticompetitive business practices.

HD Media on Jan. 29 filed a lawsuit asking a federal court to determine whether the two Silicon Valley companies had violated antitrust laws. The lawsuit claims Google has unlawfully exercised monopoly power of the digital advertising market, which has prevented newspapers from competing in the market and losing their primary source of revenue.

It also claims that Google and Facebook had "unlawfully conspired to engage in anticompetitive conduct" through an alleged secret deal nicknamed "Jedi Blue." Details of the alleged agreement were first revealed when 10 state attorneys general sued Google for multiple violations of federal and state antitrust and consumer protection laws.

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According to a redacted version of the lawsuit (pdf) filed in December, Facebook announced in 2017 that it would try a new method of selling online advertising called "header bidding," which would act as a threat of competition for Google. The lawsuit suggested Facebook eventually "curtailed its involvement" with the project after Google gave Facebook "information, speed, and other advantages in the [redacted] auctions that Google runs for publishers’ mobile app advertising inventory each month in the United States."

The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times

...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize...
, which both say they’ve reviewed an unredacted version of the complaint, reported the alleged secret deal referred to in the lawsuit was code-named "Jedi Blue" by Google.

HD Media’s lawsuit claims that as a result of Google and Facebook’s alleged anticompetitive and monopolistic practices, newspapers in West Virginia and across the country are facing "a very real existential threat to their existence."

"Without redress, these newspapers, and hence the citizens of West Virginia, may well end up in the ’news desert,'" the lawsuit states (pdf).

It claims that Google’s monopoly has created an uneven playing field to compete for online advertising revenue. It says Google had integrated itself through numerous mergers and acquisitions to "enable dominion over all sellers, buyers, and middlemen in the marketplace."

"The freedom of the press is not at stake; the press itself is at stake," the filing states.

"As a result of falling revenues, newspapers are steadily losing the ability to financially support their newsrooms, which are costly to maintain but provide immense value to their communities. A robust local newsroom requires the financial freedom to support in-depth, sometimes years-long reporting, as well as the ability to hire and retain journalists with expertise in fundamentally local issues, such as coverage of state government."

Google and Facebook didn’t immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

HD Media is seeking an order that declares that Google and Facebook’s actions violated the law and blocks them from further engaging in such conduct. It also seeks damages for any injury caused.

HD Media owns and operates newspapers such as The Herald-Dispatch in Huntington and Cabell County, the Charleston Gazette-Mail, The Wayne County News, The Putnam Herald, the Williamson Daily News, The Logan Banner, the Coal Valley News in Boone County, and The Independent Herald in Pineville.

Posted by trailing wife 2021-02-02 00:00|| || Front Page|| [5 views ] Top

#1 Louder with Crowder is Suing Facebook

Expect a suit against Google too. Youtube demonetized his channel.

The suit will be filed and publicly available this week. It will be filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

The causes of action under state law include unfair competition and false advertising.

The key remedy is injunctive relief (stop unfair/deceptive acts). We're also seeking seven-figure monetary damages. The goal here is forcing honesty and clarity in policy application and enforcement.

Our broader point is that we are pro-business but anti-fraud. Facebook lured consumers and creators to spend money and provide data and views under the promise of not engaging in political, racial or religious bias in enforcing their policies, but they have done so both expressly and secretively, and hence, the suit.

Posted by Wholulet Thigum4957 2021-02-02 02:03|| 2021-02-02 02:03|| Front Page Top

#2 When social media such as FB, Twitter and others puts itself in the position of censoring a President, it is also putting itself in the position of interfering with national security and policy.

Many countries such as Australia and others are seeing this danger.

Posted by JohnQC 2021-02-02 08:59|| 2021-02-02 08:59|| Front Page Top

#3 Break them up -- now
Force G to divest Doubleclick
Force FB to divest Insta and WhatsApp
Put AMZN out of biz altogether, on grounds of illegal predatory pricing

Posted by Guillibaldo Omineng8135 2021-02-02 13:19|| 2021-02-02 13:19|| Front Page Top

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