Analysis-Google faces greater threat of forced ad unit sale from U.S. lawsuit

FILE PHOTO: The logo for Google LLC is seen at the Google Store Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly//File Photo

(Reuters) - The U.S. government is more likely to force Google to divest a key business with an antitrust lawsuit it filed this week than a group of states that has pursued a similar case for three years, legal experts said.

The complaint filed Tuesday in a Virginia federal court by the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division attempts to compel Google to sell part of its advertising technology unit.