A federal judge has denied the Department of Justice’s appeal to compel Google to divest its advertising exchange platform, AdX, allowing the tech giant to maintain a vital component of its advertising technology operations. This ruling came from Judge Leonie Brinkema, who opted against ordering the sale of AdX but agreed to most of the proposed limitations on Google’s business practices.
The decision follows a 2025 judgment that determined Google had unlawfully preserved monopolies within the markets for publisher ad servers and advertising exchanges. The Justice Department, along with several U.S. states, had contended that due to Google’s previous behavior, the company should no longer have control over AdX. However, Google argued against the forced divestiture, citing potential technical challenges and customer disruptions if the platform were separated.
This ruling marks another challenge for U.S. antitrust authorities aiming to dismantle large technology firms. Efforts in past cases to enforce the sale of assets from other major tech companies have similarly not succeeded, highlighting the ongoing difficulties in regulating dominant players in the technology industry.
Despite being able to retain its advertising exchange, Google will now be subject to behavioral measures designed to tackle issues related to competition and how it interacts with publishers. These measures aim to address the concerns raised by the Justice Department and the states involved in the case.