In a significant legal decision, a U.S. judge has denied the Department of Justice’s bid to compel Google to divest its advertising exchange platform, AdX. This ruling permits Google to maintain a crucial component of its advertising technology operations, despite antitrust concerns.
Judge Leonie Brinkema, who presided over the case, refused to mandate the sale of AdX, although she approved most of the proposed limitations on Google’s business conduct. This decision comes on the heels of a 2025 verdict that determined Google had unlawfully sustained monopolies within the realms of publisher ad servers and advertising exchanges.
The Justice Department, alongside several U.S. states, contended that Google’s historical actions warranted the relinquishment of AdX control. However, Google countered, arguing that disentangling AdX would pose significant technical challenges and potentially disrupt services for its clients.
This outcome marks another hurdle for U.S. antitrust authorities in their efforts to dismantle dominant technology firms. Similar legal actions against other large tech companies have previously fallen short of achieving forced divestitures.
While the ruling allows Google to retain its advertising exchange, it does enforce behavioral measures intended to address competitive concerns and the company’s interactions with publishers.