Feds Push to Dismantle Google’s Ad Empire After Landmark Antitrust Ruling

The Department of Justice formally asked a federal judge to break up Google’s ad-tech empire Friday after an April court ruling found the company illegally monopolized the digital advertising market.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, a Clinton-era appointee, ruled in April that Google had unlawfully tied its ad server, DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP), and ad exchange (AdX), controlling both the buy and sell sides of the digital ad pipeline. Now, the DOJ is seeking a structural remedy — specifically, a forced divestiture of both products — to restore competition.

“We disagree with the Court’s decision regarding our publisher tools,” Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s vice president of regulatory affairs, said after Brinkema issued her ruling. “Publishers have many options and they choose Google because our ad tech tools are simple, affordable and effective.”

“We won half of this case and we will appeal the other half. The Court found that our advertiser tools and our acquisitions, such as DoubleClick, don’t harm competition. We disagree with the Court’s decision regarding our publisher tools. Publishers have many options and they…

In its latest court filing, the DOJ argued Google’s monopoly “squeezes out rivals” and enables the company to “capture outsized profits” from the online advertising supply chain. DOJ attorney Julia Tarver Wood called Google a “recidivist monopolist” and said behavioral remedies alone would be inadequate, according to Reuters.

The move represents one of the most aggressive antitrust actions taken against a tech company in decades, and marks the second time in less than a year Google has been found liable for operating an illegal monopoly. Judge Brinkema’s decision last month found violations of both Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act.

Google would be forced to sell its publisher ad server, DFP, and the AdX marketplace, according to the DOJ’s proposal. These two platforms anchor the company’s dominance in digital advertising, generating billions in revenue annually. Google responded by claiming the DOJ’s request has “no basis in law” and said it will continue to contest the remedy.

The DOJ’s case is part of a broader government crackdown on Big Tech’s power, including ongoing antitrust actions against Amazon and Meta.

A remedies trial is scheduled to begin in September.

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