The owner of the Daily Mail and MailOnline has hired a US litigation firm to represent it in an antitrust suit against Google, alleging the tech giant manipulates search results and advertising auctions in ways that harm online publishers.
The Daily Mail and General has chosen the Washington, DC-based litigation firm Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Frederick to represent it, according to a person close to the matter—a surprise move for a company that has previously turned to UK elite firm Slaughter and May for its legal matters.
On Tuesday the Daily Mail, owner of the MailOnline newspaper, sued Google alleging that the search and advertising giant’s power over selling online ad space means newspapers see little of the revenue their content produces.
The federal lawsuit against Google and its parent, Alphabet, alleges that Google controls the tools used to sell ad inventory as well as the space on publishers’ pages where ads can be placed and the exchange that decides where ads will be placed.
