Google Wins Antitrust Appeal Over Advertising Algorithm Changes

Alphabet Inc.’s Google escaped antitrust litigation Tuesday over claims it exploited its dominance in the online search and digital advertising sectors to make algorithm changes that harmed one of the world’s leading stock-photo providers.

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected the allegations, saying the lawsuit was doomed by its own lack of clarity. The San Francisco-based court pointed to contradictions concerning the legal theories advanced by the stock-photo company, Romania-based Dreamstime.com LLC.

Judge Ronald M. Gould, writing for a unanimous panel, said Dreamstime was stuck with its initial claim that Google acted illegally to maintain its …