Google is a monopoly in online ad tech, Federal judge rules

A federal judge has ruled that Google is a monopolist in online advertising. The New York Times reported on Thursday that Judge Leonie Brinkema of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia said the company broke the law to maintain its ad tech dominance.

“In addition to depriving rivals of the ability to compete, this exclusionary conduct substantially harmed Google’s publisher customers, the competitive process, and, ultimately, consumers of information on the open web,” the judge said.

The case stemmed from a January 2023 lawsuit from the US Justice Department and eight states. They accused Google of illegally monopolizing the ad market and using that power to charge more and take a higher portion of sales.

The decision follows one from August, when another federal judge ruled that Google holds a monopoly on online search. Judge Amit Mehta of the US District Court for the District of Columbia said in 2024 said the company “is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.” Judge Mehta is considering a DOJ request to break up the company based on that ruling.

Now, Judge Brinkema will face a similar decision about the nearly $1.9 trillion company’s dominance in advertising. The DOJ’s lawsuit already asked the court to make Google sell portions of its ad tech business. Much of the company’s future will rest on what those two judges decide in the coming months.

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