US judge rejects bid to break up Google’s ad business in DOJ monopoly case, orders operational changes

A US federal judge yesterday denied a request to dismantle Google's ad business, instead ordering the tech giant to implement specific operational changes. US District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled that Google must modify its ad market practices rather than breaking up a portion of its digital advertising empire. This decision is the second time in recent years that a judge has declined to dismantle a piece of Google's business, following a previous refusal to force the sale of its Chrome browser in a separate monopoly case.

Both cases are part of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) broader effort to limit the competitive dominance of major tech companies, such as Apple, Amazon, and Meta. Google's vice president of regulatory affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland, expressed satisfaction with the court's decision to reject the DOJ's proposal to breakup tools that aid small businesses in reaching new customers and growing their businesses.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association, of which Google is a member, President Matt Schruers, stated that the ruling confirms that antitrust remedies should be narrowly tailored to address specific identified harms. The reasoning behind the judge's decision remains confidential for now, with Brinkema sealing her opinion for 14 days.

The case centered on Google's ad tech "stack," the collection of tools publishers use to sell ads and advertisers use to purchase them. The judge ruled last year that Google had willfully monopolized both the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets, tying the two products together unlawfully. Google plans to appeal the underlying liability ruling, arguing that the proposed remedies would be an extreme overreach harmful to publishers, advertisers, and consumers.