A federal judge has denied the U.S. Department of Justice’s attempt to compel Google to divest its advertising exchange platform, AdX, thereby allowing the tech giant to maintain a significant segment of its advertising technology operations. This decision, delivered by Judge Leonie Brinkema, comes after a 2025 ruling that determined Google had unlawfully preserved monopolies in the domains of publisher ad servers and advertising exchanges.
The Justice Department, along with several states, had contended that Google’s historical actions warranted the removal of its control over AdX. However, Google countered that the forced sale would be technically challenging and could potentially disrupt service for customers. Despite rejecting the demand to divest, Judge Brinkema approved most of the proposed restrictions on Google’s business practices.
The ruling signifies another hurdle for U.S. antitrust regulators in their efforts to dismantle major technology firms. Previous cases targeting other leading tech companies have similarly failed to achieve forced asset sales, highlighting the difficulties faced by authorities in regulating the dominance of tech giants.
While Google is permitted to retain its advertising exchange platform, the court has implemented behavioral measures aimed at addressing competitive concerns and improving the treatment of publishers. These stipulations are intended to mitigate the monopolistic practices previously identified by the court.