Judge weighs fixes after ruling Google monopolized ad tech markets

In short: A U.S. federal judge is now deciding what changes Google must make after finding it illegally monopolized key parts of online ad technology.

What happened

A U.S. federal judge has already ruled that Google broke antitrust law in parts of the ad tech market. The judge, Leonie Brinkema, found in April 2025 that Google illegally monopolized two areas, the publisher ad server and the ad exchange.

A publisher ad server is the tool many websites use to manage and sell ad space. An ad exchange is like a marketplace where ads are bought and sold in real time, similar to an auction.

The case is now in the “remedies” phase, which is the part where the court decides what the company must do to fix the problem. Public reporting says the judge is considering options that could include forcing Google to sell parts of its ad tech business, or putting limits on how its systems work. The specific measures being considered were not publicly detailed.

The U.S. Department of Justice has pushed for stronger steps, including a possible divestiture of Google Ad Manager, which includes the publisher ad server and ad exchange. Google has argued for narrower changes instead, such as rules that make it easier for other systems to work with Google’s tools, and limits on certain auction practices.

It is also important not to mix this case up with a separate antitrust case about Google Search and search ads. That is a different matter with its own remedies process.

Why it matters

Online ads help pay for many free websites and apps. If one company controls too much of the “plumbing” behind those ads (like owning both the store and the checkout), it can affect prices for advertisers and revenue for publishers, and it can limit choices across the web.

Source: NYTimes