Google Escapes Forced Breakup, Must Interoperate with Competitors

A US federal judge has ruled that Google (GOOGL) does not need to sell its ad exchange AdX, but must make its ad tech tools interoperable with products operated by competitors.

This is a significant victory for Google in the ongoing Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit against its ad business. Judge Leonie Brinkema of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia rejected the DOJ's request to force Google to sell AdX, opting instead for behavioral remedies for Google's business operations.

The ruling is a major blow to the DOJ's efforts to break up Google's dominant position in the ad tech market. As one of the largest sectors in the tech economy, global digital ad spending is expected to surpass $919.6 billion this year, according to research firm eMarketer.