Google to appeal court ruling over online ad monopoly

Google plans to challenge a court decision that found it guilty of holding a monopoly in the online advertising market, according to Reuters.

Judge Leonie Brinkema concluded that Google intentionally acquired and maintained monopoly power over key segments of the ad tech industry. The court found that Google dominates the markets for publisher ad servers and ad exchanges — tools that help websites manage and monetize ads — and that the company’s actions blocked fair access for competitors, violating antitrust laws.

While the court ruled that some of Google’s publisher tools were unlawful, it did not find its acquisitions of DoubleClick or AdMeld to be anti-competitive. Still, the U.S. Department of Justice is pushing for a forced divestiture of Google Ad Manager, which includes both the ad server and exchange.

Google considers the decision “mixed” and is preparing to appeal. The case could become one of the most high-profile antitrust battles against Big Tech in recent years.