Judge Spares Google From Breaking Up AdX Monopoly

A federal judge has allowed Google to keep its digital advertising exchange marketplace, AdX, marking another win for the Big Tech giant as it fends off antitrust lawsuits from the federal government.

Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled on Wednesday that Google does not have to sell off AdX, but did require the company to make 'behavioral remedies' to its platform.

The Justice Department and several states had sued Google, arguing its space in the advertising technology market constituted a monopoly. The plaintiffs had asked the court to order Google to sell off AdX, but Brinkema opted against this, ordering the company to make behavioral remedies instead.

The decision was met with mixed reactions from both sides. The DOJ's Antitrust Division said it is 'pleased that the court ordered substantial relief in the Google Ad Tech case,' while Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google's global regulatory affairs head, hailed the order for not forcing the company to sell off AdX.

The judge had previously ruled in April 2025 that Google acted illegally as a monopoly when it built AdX and tied it to its ad server. The court held a remedies trial in the case in 2025, in which Google argued that the lengthy process of a divestment from AdX would ultimately hurt consumers.