Washington – A federal judge at the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia rejected the Department of Justice’s request to force a sale of Google’s ad tech business.
This ruling follows last year’s decision, in which the Court found that Google had unlawfully monopolized two markets within the open-web display advertising technology ecosystem and had unlawfully tied its publisher ad server and ad exchange to maintain its dominance. The DOJ had argued for a mix of structural and behavioral remedies that go far beyond the scope of the judge’s original finding.
Today, Judge Leonie Brinkema rejected the proposed divestiture of AdX, the open-sourcing of DFP’s final auction logic, and the contingent divestiture of DFP Remainder. She also ordered both parties to write a jointly proposed final judgment within 30 days.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association has advocated for competition in the tech industry for more than 50 years, having aligned with the DOJ in some previous cases, including the IBM, AT&T and Microsoft matters.
The following can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Matt Schruers:
“The Court rightly rejected the proposed break-up of Google’s ad-tech business, which would have gone far beyond the judge’s original findings in the case. Digital advertising is fiercely competitive, and this decision confirms that antitrust remedies should be narrowly tailored to address specific identified harms.”
