Alphabet Plans Appeal After Court Rules Google Held Illegal Ad Monopoly

A U.S. District Court has ruled that Google illegally maintained monopolies in the online advertising technology market, specifically in publisher ad servers and ad exchanges, harming competition and publishers, especially small and niche content creators. The ruling empowers the Department of Justice to pursue remedies that could force Google to divest key ad tech business units, with the DOJ specifically calling for the sale of Google Ad Manager. Google plans to appeal, noting the court did not find its advertiser tools or acquisitions like DoubleClick to be anticompetitive, but disagreed with the finding on its publisher ad server dominance. The case reflects a bipartisan push in the U.S. to hold Big Tech accountable for antitrust violations and may signal broader regulatory risks for the industry. Analysts expect a potentially lengthy appeals process, and experts suggest the outcome could reshape the structure of digital advertising. Google's stock has declined significantly in the wake of the ruling, underscoring the potential impact on its business.