WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — A federal judge rejected the Justice Department’s request to force Google to sell key parts of its advertising technology business, allowing the company to retain its ad exchange and publisher ad server despite losing a major antitrust case.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema issued the decision Wednesday, rejecting structural remedies that would have required Google to sell its AdX advertising exchange and open-source parts of its ad server auction technology.
Instead, Brinkema will impose restrictions on Google’s business practices. In a brief court filing, she said she accepted most of the government’s proposed behavioral remedies, with modifications. The court has not yet released the full opinion.
The measures could restrict Google from favoring its own advertising products, limit how it handles publisher data and require the company to treat competing ad exchanges and ad servers fairly.
Google welcomed the decision. Lee-Anne Mulholland, the company’s vice president of regulatory affairs, said Google was pleased the court rejected a breakup and defended its advertising tools as valuable to small businesses.
The Justice Department sued Google over its adtech business in 2023, accusing the company of using anticompetitive practices to protect its dominance in digital advertising.
Brinkema later ruled that Google illegally maintained monopoly power in key parts of the market. She found that the company unlawfully tied its publisher ad server, DoubleClick for Publishers, to its AdX exchange.
Following that ruling, the Justice Department asked Brinkema to order Google to divest parts of its adtech business. The judge instead opted for restrictions on the company’s conduct.
The decision could affect other legal challenges against Google. Publishers and adtech companies have filed separate lawsuits seeking damages over the company’s advertising practices. Plaintiffs include The Atlantic, USA Today, Vox Media and Penske Media, which owns Billboard.
Google also faces antitrust restrictions in a separate case involving its search business. A federal judge previously found that Google illegally maintained a monopoly in online search but rejected the Justice Department’s request to force the company to sell its Chrome browser. The court instead required Google to share certain search data with competitors and restricted some exclusive distribution agreements.
Brinkema will release the full details of the adtech remedies after the court unseals her opinion. Google and the Justice Department will then have 30 days to submit a proposed final judgment.
