The U.S. government is ramping up efforts to break up Google’s dominance in online advertising, with a federal judge setting a “remedies trial” for September 22 to explore whether parts of Google’s ad business should be dismantled.
🔹 Key Developments:
- Judge Leonie Brinkema will decide if the DOJ can force Google to spin off core ad products like Ad Manager and Google Ad Exchange
- Google had tried to block divestiture as a remedy — and failed
🔹 Why This Matters:
- The DOJ argues Google tied together its tools to create an illegal monopoly that hurt advertisers and publishers
- This case follows a separate 2023 ruling where Google was found guilty of monopolizing the search market, with possible breakups of Chrome and Android still on the table
🔹 Google’s Pushback:
- The company claims forced divestitures go beyond legal limits and would hurt the very publishers and advertisers the DOJ claims to protect
- Google’s VP of Regulatory Affairs called the DOJ’s proposals “unfounded and harmful”
🔹 What Experts Say:
“Google went for a kill shot — and missed,” said Daniel McCuaig, a former DOJ antitrust attorney
He added the DOJ may prefer splitting the businesses between different buyers to restore market competition
📌 Google’s acquisition of DoubleClick was originally approved in 2007 — but now forms the crux of the DOJ’s structural remedy argument.