Judge says Google can keep ad exchange after losing monopoly lawsuit

A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that Google may retain its digital advertising exchange, known as AdX, despite previously ruling that the tech giant illegally monopolized the digital advertising space. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled in April 2025 that Google violated antitrust laws by maintaining a monopoly in digital advertising technology, allowing the company to charge high premiums for online ads.

The Department of Justice brought the lawsuit in 2023 and argued that Google needed to sell off AdX to break up the monopoly. Brinkema sided with the DOJ last year, ruling that Google willfully engaged in anticompetitive practices to gain power in both the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets.

If Brinkema knew about the monopoly, why wouldn’t she order Google to divest? Brinkema ruled Tuesday that Google did not have to sell off AdX and instead ordered the company to enact various remedial business measures. The judge’s memorandum explaining the specific changes she required, as well as her reasons for them would remain sealed for two weeks to allow time for any necessary redactions given the amount of sensitive information involved in the case, according to court documents.