A U.S. federal court in Virginia ruled on April 17, 2025, that Google willfully acquired and maintained monopoly power in the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets, violating the Sherman Act. Judge Leonie Brinkema stated in her 115-page decision that the company unlawfully tied its DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP) ad server platform and AdX ad exchange together, excluding competitors. This ruling marks the second of three significant monopoly cases that the U.S. government has won against Google in the past year.
The court partially upheld the Justice Department (DOJ) and eight states' lawsuit filed in January 2023, which alleged that Google's $31 billion advertising business operates illegally. Court documents show that Google strengthened its monopoly position through its acquisitions of DoubleClick in 2008 and AdMeld in 2011, enabling it to raise ad prices and reduce publisher revenues. Judge Brinkema, however, rejected one of the DOJ's claims that the company also maintains a monopoly in the so-called "open-web display advertiser ad networks" market. Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google's Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, announced that the company will appeal part of the ruling.
The next step will be a court hearing to determine appropriate remedies, which could include forcing Google to divest parts of its advertising business, such as selling off the Google Ad Manager. This decision is part of a larger regulatory wave targeting big tech companies, including Meta, Amazon, and Apple, which are also facing antitrust lawsuits. William Kovacic, a competition law professor at The George Washington University, suggested that the partial victory reduces the likelihood of a breakup, but Google still faces potentially significant operational restrictions.
Sources:
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Rebecca Bellan
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A U.S. judge has ruled that Google unlawfully maintained monopolies in key online advertising technology markets, potentially leading to significant structural changes in its ad business.
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Brian Fung, Clare Duffy
