Alphabet's Google has announced plans to appeal part of a recent antitrust ruling in a case brought by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema's judgment, published on April 17, 2025, found that Google has intentionally obtained and maintained monopoly strength in several areas of the internet advertising technology market.
Judge Brinkema ruled that Google illegally dominated the markets for publisher ad servers and ad exchanges, which are essential tools for websites to manage and sell digital advertising space. She concluded that Google's actions went beyond typical business practices, involving "the willful acquisition or maintenance" of monopoly power, which "substantially harmed" publishers, competition, and consumers on the open web.
The ruling sets the stage for a future hearing to determine what actions Google should take to resolve these violations. Possible remedies include requiring the tech giant to sell off portions of its advertising business, including the Google Ad Manager suite, which provides for its publisher ad server and ad exchange.
In response, Google described the ruling as a "mixed decision." While the company acknowledged the judge's finding that its publisher tools violated antitrust rules by eliminating competition, it underlined that the DOJ had failed to demonstrate anticompetitive behavior in Google's advertiser tools or its previous acquisitions of DoubleClick and AdMeld.
Google's legal team is preparing to challenge what it calls the "advance portion" of the verdict, specifically the finding that its publisher ad technology represents illegal monopolization.
Meanwhile, Google faces rising legal difficulties around the world. In the UK, the company is the subject of a £5 billion ($6.62 billion) class action lawsuit, recently brought by competition law expert Dr. Or Brook. The lawsuit claims that Google misused its market dominance to increase advertising prices, which has heightened scrutiny of the company's global ad policies.
With US and international regulators closing in, Google's advertising empire faces one of its most serious legal challenges to date.