Google to Challenge Part of U.S. Court Ruling in DOJ Monopoly Case

Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has announced its intention to contest a portion of a recent ruling from a U.S. court regarding the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) antitrust lawsuit. 

The legal battle centers around claims that the tech behemoth abused its dominance in the online advertising ecosystem.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema delivered the decision on Thursday, concluding that Google had “willfully acquiring and maintaining monopoly power” in specific advertising markets. 

The ruling states that the company unlawfully commands two major segments of the digital advertising technology industry — particularly those relating to publisher ad servers and ad exchanges.

The judgment, while critical of some Google practices, was not entirely in favor of the DOJ’s position. In its response, Google pointed out that the court delivered a split verdict. 

The company emphasized that Judge Brinkema did not find evidence proving Google’s advertiser tools or its acquisitions of DoubleClick and AdMeld harmed competition.

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Instead, the court determined that the company’s platform for publishers — a key component in how ads are placed and sold online — breached antitrust regulations by shutting out competitors. 

Google has taken issue with this part of the ruling and stated its intent to pursue an appeal.

A spokesperson for the tech firm remarked that it plans to dispute the “adverse” aspects of the decision, especially those involving its publisher tools. 

The DOJ, meanwhile, had argued that these tools are central to Google’s dominance and had proposed a significant remedy: that the company should be compelled to divest its Google Ad Manager unit. 

This division includes both the ad server and exchange that the court found problematic.

The DOJ’s argument was built on the premise that Google’s control over both the buying and selling sides of the digital ad market has created an unfair competitive landscape. 

According to the agency, forcing Google to break up parts of its ad tech business is necessary to restore competition and level the playing field.

As legal proceedings continue, the case marks another major clash between U.S. regulators and big tech firms, highlighting the growing scrutiny over market concentration in digital services. 

The outcome could carry wide-reaching implications for the future of online advertising and how technology companies operate in complex, high-stakes markets.

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