US Court Finds Google Guilty of Illegal Monopoly in Ad Tech Market

A U.S. federal judge has ruled that Google unlawfully monopolized the digital advertising technology market, marking a major setback for the tech giant and its parent company, Alphabet.

The decision, issued Thursday by District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema, followed an antitrust lawsuit filed by the U.S. government and over a dozen states. The suit accused Google of using anti-competitive practices to dominate key areas of digital advertising—publisher ad servers, advertiser tools, and ad exchanges.

While the judge dismissed some claims related to advertiser tools, she upheld the core of the case, concluding that Google had willfully engaged in conduct that cemented its dominance in ad tech.

“Google has willfully engaged in a series of anticompetitive acts to acquire and maintain monopoly power,” Judge Brinkema wrote, citing harm to publishers, the competitive process, and consumers of online information.

The ruling increases the likelihood that Google could face structural remedies, including a potential breakup of its ad business. Advocacy groups have called it a major win for fair competition.

Google, however, said it would appeal the decision. “We won half of this case and we will appeal the other half,” said Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s vice president of regulatory affairs. She emphasized that the court found no wrongdoing in its advertiser tools and certain acquisitions like DoubleClick.

Analysts say the ruling signals a growing willingness by U.S. authorities to rein in Big Tech’s influence, with potential long-term consequences for the digital ad market.

In addition to the ad tech case, Google is also appealing a separate ruling from last August that found it maintained a monopoly in online search.

Legal experts say the outcome of this case could shape the future of the digital economy and determine whether tech giants can continue to operate unchallenged in core markets.