Google has been the subject of an antitrust complaint by the European Publishers Council (EPC) over its digital advertising business, Reuters reports.

Google generated $147 billion in online advertising revenue in 2020, more than any other company in the world, with advertising, including search, YouTube, and Gmail, accounting for the bulk of its total sales and profits.

About 16% of its revenue comes from the company's advertising or network business, in which other media companies use Google technologies to sell ads on their websites and apps.

In June, the European Commission launched an investigation into whether Google is prioritizing its own online advertising technologies over competitors, advertisers and online publishers.

The publishers' trade body, which includes Axel Springer, News UK, Conde Nast, Bonnier News and Editorial Prensa Iberica, has filed a complaint with the European Commission alleging that Google has a stranglehold on advertising publishers.

"It is high time for the European Commission to impose measures ... its behaviour," EPC Chairman Christian Van Thillo said in a statement..

"Google has achieved end-to-end control of the ad tech value chain, boasting market shares as high as 90-100%" in segments of the ad technology chain segments, he added.