The U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust trial against Google revealed that the tech giant knowingly implemented measures like the 2019 unified pricing rules (UPR) to strengthen its control over the digital ad market despite anticipating backlash from publishers. Internal documents and testimonies indicated that UPR prevented publishers from setting different minimum bids for different ad exchanges, disadvantaging competitors. Stephanie Layser, a former News Corp executive, testified that News Corp considered leaving Google’s ad tools but estimated a loss of at least $9 million in ad revenue, demonstrating publishers' reliance on Google despite its 'clunky' tools. This trial aims to show that Google’s monopolistic practices forced publishers to remain dependent on its ad infrastructure, limiting competition in the market. Google countered that the industry is more competitive now, with publishers using multiple platforms. The trial continues as prosecutors seek to prove Google’s unfair dominance in ad tech markets.