Google Told To Break Up Its Ads Business, Sell Two Key Products As Judge Finds Illegal Monopoly

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has projected that Google divest 2 of its cardinal advertizing products, AdX and DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP), successful a sweeping effort to reconstruct title successful nan integer advertizing market. The connection follows a national tribunal ruling that recovered nan tech elephantine blameworthy of "willfully acquiring and maintaining monopoly power" in 2 captious advertisement tech markets.

As reported by Reuters, US District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled past period that Google had illegally dominated some nan advertisement speech and patient advertisement server markets. In a consequent tribunal filing reviewed by Reuters and TechCrunch, nan DOJ based on that structural remedies, including divestitures, are basal to "terminate Google’s monopolies" and forestall early anticompetitive conduct.

The DOJ is calling for nan afloat divestiture of AdX, Google's integer advertisement marketplace, and a phased waste of DFP, its level utilized by publishers to negociate and present ads. Additionally, nan section wants Google to beryllium barred from operating an advertisement speech for 10 years pursuing nan waste of AdX. The DOJ besides alleges that Google integrated AdX pinch DFP to guarantee publishers would suffer "significant revenue" if they did not usage some tools, efficaciously locking retired competition.

According to nan DOJ filing cited by TechCrunch, nan agency besides directed Google to unfastened its ad-buying tools, including AdWords, to activity pinch each third-party advertisement tech platforms "on non-discriminatory terms" for bidding, placement, and entree to data, unless different specified by an advertiser.

In response, Google has pushed backmost forcefully. "The DOJ’s further proposals to unit a divestiture of our advertisement tech devices spell good beyond nan Court’s findings, person nary ground successful law, and would harm publishers and advertisers," said Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, successful a connection to Reuters. She added that Google’s ain projected remedies, including opening AdX to third-party advertisement servers and appointing an independent compliance observer, adequately reside nan court’s liability ruling.

While nan DOJ dismissed these behavioural remedies arsenic insufficient, Mulholland claimed nan section had already acknowledged Google's proposals met nan ineligible period based connected nan court’s decision.

Meanwhile, successful Europe, Google antecedently attempted to settee an antitrust investigation by offering to waste AdX, arsenic Reuters noted, but nan connection was rejected by publishers arsenic insufficient.

A proceedings to find nan last remedies successful nan DOJ’s advertisement tech lawsuit is scheduled to statesman successful September, aft Judge Brinkema heard arguments from some sides past week.

Published on: May 7, 2025 3:15 PM IST