Alphabet’s Google avoided a court ordered breakup of its advertising technology business after a U.S. judge rejected the Justice Department’s bid to force the sale of its online advertising exchange, AdX. The ruling gives Google another significant legal victory as U.S. antitrust authorities seek remedies for the company’s dominance in digital advertising.
Alphabet’s Google has avoided a forced sale of its online advertising exchange after a U.S. judge rejected the Justice Department’s request to divest the business, providing the technology giant with a significant victory in its antitrust battle with the U.S. government.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, declined to order Google to sell AdX, the company’s advertising exchange where publishers sell advertising space through automated auctions. Instead, she accepted most of the behavioral remedies proposed by the parties.
AdX is a relatively small part of Google’s overall business, but the decision carries broader significance for the company as it faces continued scrutiny over its control of digital advertising technology.
The Justice Department had sought a forced sale of AdX after Brinkema ruled in April 2025 that Google had illegally acquired and maintained monopoly power in two online advertising technology markets. Those markets included publisher ad servers and advertising exchanges.
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Under AdX’s model, publishers pay Google a 20% fee to sell advertising through auctions that take place almost instantly when users load websites, according to Reuters.
The government’s effort to force a sale was aimed at addressing the illegal monopolies identified by the court. Google had argued against divestiture, while the case focused on what remedies would be appropriate following the earlier finding.
The latest ruling represents another setback for U.S. antitrust enforcers seeking structural changes to major technology companies. For Google, it means the company can retain AdX while complying with the behavioral measures imposed by the court.
The decision does not erase the earlier finding that Google illegally dominated parts of the digital advertising technology market. Instead, it determines that a forced sale of AdX is not required as the remedy in the case.
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