Google should relax ad tech rules, appoint antitrust monitor, US judge finds

A federal judge has ruled that Google should relax its ad tech rules and appoint an internal antitrust monitor, while rejecting the idea of breaking up the company's advertising technology monopoly. In a 106-page decision, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Virginia stated that Google should alter some of its business practices to restore competition in the affected markets, but did not demand a complete breakup.

Google disagreed with the judge's liability ruling on its Google Ad Manager publishing tool and plans to appeal. The company also maintained that a divestiture would hinder small businesses from reaching customers. The ruling comes two weeks after the judge dismissed the U.S. Department of Justice's demand for Google to break up its ad business.

The government had sought Google to sell AdX, a platform where publishers pay a 20% fee to sell ads in real-time auctions. Brinkema, however, accepted proposals that Google not require websites using its ad server to also use AdX and that the company cease practices that lock publishers into its ad tech tools. A monitor is necessary due to the gravity of Google's antitrust violations, though the oversight will be less than the government initially requested.

The remedies will remain in place for six years, not the 15 years sought by the Justice Department and various states.