Google Fights DOJ Ad Tech Breakup In Antitrust Trial

Google is set to defend its ad tech business in a new antitrust trial in Alexandria, Virginia, as the U.S. Department of Justice seeks to force the company to sell its ad exchange, AdX.

Regulators argue that Google’s practices unlawfully monopolize digital advertising by charging publishers a 20% fee and locking them into its ad server, giving Google advertisers unfair advantages in auctions.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema already ruled in April that Google holds monopolies in ad tech, and will now decide on remedies that could reshape the industry.

Rather than divest AdX, Google has proposed policy changes that would allow publishers easier access to competing platforms, though the DOJ insists such measures won’t restore true competition.

The trial is part of a broader bipartisan crackdown on Big Tech, with ongoing cases targeting Meta, Amazon, and Apple.

Witnesses from major publishers are expected to testify, and if current remedies fall short, the DOJ also wants Google to be required to sell its publisher ad server within four years.

The outcome could mark one of the most significant regulatory challenges Google has faced in its advertising empire.

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