A US federal judge has ruled that Google unlawfully monopolised key segments of the online advertising market, dealing a significant blow to the tech giant’s dominance. The decision comes amid increasing scrutiny of major tech firms by US regulators and marks a turning point in antitrust enforcement.
Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia found that Google “willfully engaged in a series of anticompetitive acts” to control publisher ad servers and ad exchanges—two core sectors in the digital advertising industry.
“Google further entrenched its monopoly power by imposing anticompetitive policies on its customers,” Judge Brinkema wrote. “This conduct harmed competitors, publishers, and ultimately consumers.”
The ruling stems from a lawsuit brought by the US Department of Justice and 17 states. They argued that Google created an unavoidable ecosystem through its trio of ad products, leaving publishers with few alternatives.
The case is one of two major antitrust suits the US government has launched against Google. Both actions seek to reduce the company’s overwhelming power across tech sectors and may eventually force a breakup.
Google has vowed to fight the decision. “We won half of this case and we will appeal the other half,” said Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s vice president of regulatory affairs. “The court found that our advertiser tools and acquisitions like DoubleClick don’t harm competition.”
Industry observers say the ruling could reshape online advertising. Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf, senior analyst at Emarketer, said the decision has “profound implications for the advertising industry.” She added, “Any change to the status quo could crush vulnerable publishers.”
Judge Brinkema has given both sides seven days to propose a schedule for determining possible remedies. Options may include requiring Google to divest parts of its ad business.
Nicole Gill of Accountable Tech praised the ruling as a “massive victory.” Amnesty International’s Secretary-General Agnes Callamard called for a “rights-respecting structural break-up of Google.”
The case forms part of a broader US government campaign to rein in Big Tech’s influence. Alongside Google, other major firms face lawsuits under an aggressive antitrust push revived by the administrations of Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
Online ads remain Google’s main revenue stream, funding services such as Gmail, Maps, and YouTube. This legal setback could signal future disruption to Google’s business model and its investments in artificial intelligence.
