2 hrs ago
Google Escapes Ad Tech Breakup as Judge Rejects DOJ Sale
A judge decided that Google does not have to sell its AdX advertising exchange.
The US Department of Justice had asked for the sale because it said Google acted illegally in online advertising.
The judge had already found that Google held illegal monopolies in parts of the advertising system.
She also found that Google pushed publishers to use AdX.
Instead of ordering a sale, the court accepted most rules meant to change Google’s behavior.
Google said separating AdX would be technically difficult and could hurt customers.
The Justice Department said Google should not be trusted to run the exchange.
The decision is another setback for officials trying to break up large technology companies.
Other judges have also rejected proposed breakups involving Meta and Google’s Chrome browser.
A Virginia judge rejected the US Department of Justice’s request to force Google to sell AdX.
Judge Leonie Brinkema previously found Google held illegal monopolies in publisher ad servers and exchanges.
The court accepted most proposed behavioral remedies addressing Google’s advertising-technology conduct.
The DOJ said Google could not be trusted to operate AdX after its past behavior.
The ruling was the latest setback for US efforts to break up major technology companies.
- Who
- Google, the US Department of Justice, a coalition of states, and US District Judge Leonie Brinkema.
- What
- Judge Brinkema rejected the request to force Google to sell its AdX advertising exchange while accepting most proposed behavioral remedies.
- Where
- The case was decided in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.
- When
- The ruling was issued on Wednesday; Brinkema’s finding that Google held illegal monopolies came in April 2025.
- Why
- The Justice Department sought a sale to address Google’s illegal monopolies and alleged anticompetitive conduct in online advertising technology.
US Government’s Position
Google’s Position
Whether AdX should be sold
US Government’s Position
The US Department of Justice argued that Google should be forced to sell AdX because its past conduct showed that it could not be trusted to operate the exchange.
Google’s Position
Google opposed a forced sale, arguing that separating AdX would be technically difficult and cause a long, painful transition that could harm customers.
How to remedy the conduct
US Government’s Position
Federal antitrust enforcers sought structural relief, including the sale of an advertising-technology asset, to address Google’s illegal monopolies.
Google’s Position
Google argued that the requested sale differed from its previous offer to sell AdX as part of an effort to resolve an EU antitrust investigation.
Effect on Big Tech enforcement
US Government’s Position
The ruling may intensify questions about whether courts can effectively limit the power of major technology companies through breakup cases.
Google’s Position
The decision keeps AdX within Google while allowing behavioral remedies to address the conduct identified by the court.
Key facts
- Court
- US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia
- Judge
- Leonie Brinkema
- Asset at issue
- Google’s AdX online advertising exchange
- AdX fee
- Publishers pay Google a 20% fee to sell ads through AdX auctions.
- Earlier finding
- In April 2025, Brinkema ruled that Google held illegal monopolies in publisher ad servers and ad exchanges.
- Ad Manager figures
- Google Ad Manager represented 4.1% of Google’s overall revenue and 1.5% of operating profit in 2020, according to Wedbush research and court-document analysis.
- Lawsuit
- The US Department of Justice and a broad coalition of states sued Google in 2023.
Quotes
Leonie Brinkema
US District Judge in Alexandria, Virginia, who presided over Google’s advertising technology antitrust case
“The tech giant's anticompetitive conduct "substantially harmed Google's publisher customers, the competitive process, and, ultimately, consumers of information on the open web,"”
republicworld.com
Sources
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