Google's Jedi Blue ad deal with Meta goes scot-free from antitrust claims

• A federal judge has dismissed some of the antitrust allegations against Google.
• The search giant will still have to deal with a multi-state antitrust lawsuit led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
• Google is being sued for alleged market monopoly in digital advertising.

It's not all good news for the search giant after it was claimed that its online ad deal with Meta, dubbed Jedi Blue, was illegal.

The lawsuit, which was filed by multiple states led by the Attorney General of Texas in 2020, accuses Google of hurting competition by teaming up with Meta. The partnership may have given the social media giant an advantage. "False, deceptive, or misleading acts" were what the state AGs had to say about the search engine.

The judge dismissed the allegations that the ad deal between the two companies constituted an illegal restraint of trade. The antitrust lawsuit can go forward.

The larger aspects of the antitrust case include allegations of ad-tech market monopolies. According to the lawsuit, Google has engaged in anti-competitive practices.

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The judge's decision was hailed by the company as proof that the case was flawed.

"As we've always said, advertising technology is a fiercely competitive industry, and our products increase choice for publishers, advertisers and consumers while enabling small businesses to affordably find new customers," the company said in a post. The record will be set straight about the remaining claims.

The lawsuit was filed over the alleged illegal advertising claims about thePixel 4. Radio advertisers in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston markets were forced to make false claims about the phone.

Regulators in the UK have been scrutinizing the ad tech business. The Competition and Markets Authority launched a probe to find out if the search giant unfairly shut down third-party ad server.