A federal judge in the Eastern District of Virginia has ruled that tech giant Google illegally monopolized key sectors of the digital advertising market, finding the company guilty of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act.
After a three-week bench trial involving extensive testimony and evidence, the court concluded that Google had willfully acquired and maintained monopoly power in both the open-web display publisher ad server market and the open-web display ad exchange market.
US District Judge Leonie Brinkema also found that Google had illegally tied its dominant publisher ad server (DFP) and ad exchange (AdX) products together—further stifling competition and crushing smaller competitors.
Seventeen states joined the Department of Justice in this antitrust suit, arguing that Google’s actions have “substantially harmed” the digital ad ecosystem, small publishers, and ultimately, everyday American consumers by driving up prices and restricting innovation.
The court’s 115-page opinion meticulously laid out how Google used its control over multiple layers of the ad tech stack to choke off competitors and steer business toward its own services—including Google AdX and DFP, now forcibly integrated as part of its Google Ad Manager product.
“Google further entrenched its monopoly power by imposing anticompetitive policies on its customers and eliminating desirable product features,” US District Judge Leonie Brinkema wrote in the ruling.
“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. Accordingly, Google is liable under Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act,” Brinkema added.
Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 is a federal statute that prohibits activities that restrict interstate commerce and competition in the marketplace. It outlaws any contract , conspiracy , or combination of business interests in restraint of foreign or interstate trade.
In an attempt to dodge accountability, Google had earlier tried to moot the DOJ’s damages claim by writing a $2.3 million check — a move the court allowed, stripping the case of its jury trial and leaving only equitable relief on the table. But the court’s findings still deliver a devastating blow to the tech behemoth.
The next phase of the litigation will determine what remedies will be imposed — including possible forced divestitures of Google’s ad tools and restrictions on its business practices.
Read the ruling below:
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