A federal judge ruled Thursday that Google illegally monopolized crucial markets for online advertising technology, delivering another significant setback to the tech giant already facing antitrust pressure on multiple fronts.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, determined that Google unlawfully maintained monopolies in two key sectors of the digital advertising ecosystem: publisher ad servers and ad exchanges that connect buyers and sellers. The court will set a briefing schedule and hearing date to determine appropriate remedies for the antitrust violations, which could potentially force Google to sell off parts of its lucrative advertising business.
Google will now head into 2025 facing the possibility of two different U.S. courts ordering it to sell assets or change its business practices, as the company continues to battle another antitrust case regarding its dominance in online search. The Department of Justice, which brought the case along with several state attorneys general, has previously indicated it may seek to have Google divest its Google Ad Manager suite, which includes both its publisher ad server and ad exchange — core components of the company’s digital advertising empire.
Prosecutors said at trial that Google used classic monopoly-building tactics of eliminating competitors through acquisitions, locking customers in to using its products, and controlling how transactions occurred in the online ad market. Google’s defense centered on claims that the case ignored competition from other tech giants like Amazon and Comcast as advertising spending shifts to streaming video and apps.
The ruling follows Judge Amit Mehta’s decision last August that Google illegally monopolized the online search market through exclusive deals with device manufacturers like Apple. In that case, Mehta noted that Google had paid $26.3 billion in 2021 alone to ensure that its search engine is the default on smartphones and browsers, and to keep its dominant market share.
The remedy phase will now begin as the court establishes a briefing schedule to determine appropriate consequences for the antitrust violations. Options range from structural remedies, like forcing Google to sell parts of its advertising business, to behavioral remedies that would allow Google to keep its operations intact with restrictions to ensure fair competition.
The back-to-back antitrust defeats represent the government’s most significant victories against Big Tech in decades. The Department of Justice has pursued an aggressive strategy targeting alleged monopolistic practices across the technology sector, with ongoing cases against other major players including Meta, Amazon and Apple.
The advertising technology case specifically targeted Google’s dominance in key digital advertising technologies that website publishers depend on to sell ads and that advertisers rely on to buy ads and reach potential customers. This technology stack serves as critical infrastructure for the open web, helping publishers generate revenue that supports online content.
Legal experts suggest the case could reshape the digital advertising landscape that has been dominated by Google for years. Any forced divestiture of Google’s advertising technology business would mark a dramatic intervention in the market, potentially creating opportunities for competitors while disrupting Google’s business model.
Google is expected to appeal the ruling, setting the stage for a protracted legal battle that could ultimately reach the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, remedies from both this case and the search monopoly case remain pending, with significant implications for how the company operates in the future.
The tech giant faces growing scrutiny not only in the United States but globally, with European regulators having already imposed billions in fines for similar antitrust concerns. The combined pressure from multiple jurisdictions signals a shifting landscape for tech giants that have enjoyed relatively light regulation for decades.
For publishers and advertisers, the eventual outcome could mean significant changes to how online ads are bought, sold and displayed across the internet, potentially reshaping an industry that serves as the financial backbone of the free web.