Google Avoids Forced Sale of AdX in US Ad-Tech Case

Google will not be forced to sell AdX, its online advertising exchange, after US District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema rejected the Justice Department’s proposed break-up on Wednesday, 2 September.

The ruling in the Eastern District of Virginia instead requires Google to change its advertising technology practices. Judge Brinkema accepted “most of the parties’ proposed behavioral remedies, as modified by this Court”, but the detailed order remains sealed for 14 days while the parties review it and propose redactions.

That means the final obligations are not yet publicly confirmed. Google had proposed sharing certain real-time bid information with rival ad servers, ending Unified Pricing Rules and allowing publishers to set different price floors for individual bidders in Google Ad Manager. It had also proposed not using First Look and Last Look privileges for open-web display advertising, saying it had already stopped those practices years ago.

Google keeps a key part of its ad business

AdX is the exchange where advertising space on publishers’ websites is auctioned to advertisers, typically as a webpage loads. Reuters reported that publishers pay Google a 20% fee on AdX transactions.

The exchange sits alongside Google’s publisher ad-server technology, formerly known as DoubleClick for Publishers, in Google Ad Manager. The Justice Department had sought a sale of AdX and stronger measures affecting the publisher technology, arguing that behavioural restrictions would not be enough.

“We’re very pleased the Court rejected the DOJ’s proposal to break apart tools that help small businesses reach new customers and grow,” said Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s vice-president for regulatory affairs.

What led to the ruling

The Justice Department and 17 states sued Google in January 2023. In April 2025, Judge Brinkema found Google had unlawfully acquired and maintained monopoly power in the open-web display publisher ad-server and ad-exchange markets, and had unlawfully tied DFP to AdX.

The judge previously said Google’s conduct had “substantially harmed Google’s publisher customers, the competitive process, and, ultimately, consumers of information on the open web.”

For UK readers, there is no confirmed immediate change to the price or availability of Google products. The longer-term effect is more indirect: AdX and Google Ad Manager help determine how display advertising is bought and sold on websites. The practical impact on publishers, rival ad-tech firms and the adverts seen online will be clearer once the sealed remedy terms are released.