Judge Rejects DOJ Request to Break Up Google's Ad Tech Business

Court Rejects Breakup

US District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema rejected the Department of Justice's (DOJ) request to compel Google to divest parts of its ad tech business. Instead, the court accepted milder remedies focused on restoring competition in markets where Google was found to have illegally monopolized for years.

Behavioral Remedies to Be Implemented

Judge Brinkema stated she would adopt most of the behavioral changes proposed by the involved parties, with some modifications. These specific remedies will not be made public until further revisions are worked out and the judge's opinion is reviewed for confidential information. Potential remedies could include restrictions on Google's self-preferencing ad auction tactics or allowing third-party ad tech tools access to the same real-time information as Google's own tools.

Monopoly Findings and Appeals

The judge previously ruled that Google illegally monopolized the markets for publisher ad servers and ad exchanges. Specifically, Google was found to have anticompetitively tied its Doubleclick for Publishers (DFP) ad server with its AdX ad exchange, making it difficult for customers to switch. However, the court found that the DOJ did not successfully prove Google illegally monopolized the market for advertiser-side tools. Google may appeal this underlying decision, similar to its appeal in a separate case where it was found to have monopolized the online search market.

Industry Reaction

Google expressed satisfaction with the court's decision to reject the breakup proposal, stating that it helps small businesses. The DOJ Antitrust Division indicated it was pleased with the 'substantial relief' ordered and is evaluating its next steps.