U.S. Judge Rules Google Monopolized Ad Tech

A U.S. federal judge has ruled that Google illegally monopolized the publisher ad server and ad exchange sectors of the online advertising technology market, marking Google's second major antitrust defeat in less than a year. The court found that Google willfully used anticompetitive practices by tightly integrating its ad tech products, excluding rivals, and controlling about 91% of the global publisher ad server market from 2018 to 2022. Claims related to Google's advertiser tools were dismissed, but the ruling could force Google to divest significant parts of its ad tech business. Both the Justice Department and Google are preparing for appeals, with a penalty phase forthcoming. The decision, which follows a similar ruling against Google's search business, may prompt increased regulatory scrutiny globally, especially in the European Union. While experts expect the ruling to benefit competitors and consumers by boosting competition and transparency, significant changes are unlikely until after a lengthy appeals process.