US judge says Google holds illegal ad tech monopoly, case to proceed toward possible breakup.
REUTERS
A U.S. federal judge has ruled that Google illegally monopolized key parts of the online advertising market, allowing the Justice Department to proceed with a lawsuit that could lead to a breakup of its ad tech business. The decision, delivered on Friday by Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia, rejected Google’s attempt to dismiss the government’s case.
Brinkema wrote that Google’s dominance in digital advertising “harmed competition, reduced innovation, and unfairly advantaged its own platforms.”
The ruling marks a major win for the Biden administration’s broader antitrust campaign against Big Tech and allows the Justice Department to seek structural remedies, including a potential breakup of Google’s ad business.