Google—Federal judge ruled Google illegally monopolized adtech market for publisher ad servers and ad exchanges
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled Google violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act by monopolizing markets for publisher ad servers (~90% share) and ad exchanges (~50% share), and violated Section 1 by illegally tying its products together. This was Google's second major antitrust loss, separate from the August 2024 search monopoly ruling. The DOJ sought divestiture of Google's ad exchange (AdX) and publisher ad server (DFP). Remedies trial scheduled for September 2025.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antitrust & Competition | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -1.180 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (critical ×2) × confidence (0.59)
Evidence (1 signal)
U.S. District Court ruled Google illegally monopolized adtech market in DOJ antitrust case
Judge Leonie Brinkema issued a 115-page decision finding Google violated Sherman Act Sections 1 and 2 by monopolizing publisher ad servers (~90% market share) and ad exchanges (~50%), and illegally tying products together. Anticompetitive conduct included strategic acquisitions (DoubleClick, AdMeld), exclusive dealing arrangements, and manipulative auction practices. AG Pam Bondi called it a 'landmark victory.'