US judge orders Google to open AdX to rivals, rejects breakup

September 17, 2026 at 02:53 PM2 min

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A US federal judge ordered Google to change several online advertising rules and appoint an internal antitrust monitor, while rejecting the Justice Department's demand to break up the company's ad business. The 106-page ruling by Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, requires Google to give rival ad platforms access to real-time auction bids through AdX. Google said it disagrees with the court's findings on Ad Manager and will appeal.

Key Facts

Judge Leonie Brinkema issued a 106-page ruling in Alexandria, Virginia, two weeks after rejecting the Justice Department's demand to break up Google's ad business.
The ruling requires Google to give rival ad platforms access to real-time auction bids through AdX.
Google will be barred from requiring websites using its ad service to also work with AdX, and from practices that kept publishers tied to its ad tools.
The court-ordered changes will last six years, while the Justice Department and several states had sought a 15-year term.
Google said it will appeal the ruling, disagreeing with the court's findings on Google Ad Manager.

The Ruling

US District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, published a 106-page decision two weeks after rejecting the Justice Department's demand to break up Google's ad business. In April 2025, Brinkema found that Google maintained an illegal monopoly in some segments of online advertising technology. The new ruling states that the prescribed changes are sufficient to prevent Google from returning to its previous business practices. The court also ordered Google to appoint an internal antitrust monitor due to the seriousness of the violations, though the monitor's powers will be limited.

AdX Access

The Justice Department had demanded that Google sell AdX, its real-time online advertising exchange. Brinkema rejected that demand, ruling that giving other ad platforms access to real-time auction bids through AdX would be enough to restore competition. Google will be prohibited from requiring websites that use its ad service to simultaneously work with AdX. The ruling also bars practices that kept publishers tied to Google's advertising tools.

Reactions

Google said it disagrees with the court's findings regarding Google Ad Manager and will appeal. The company argued that selling part of its ad business would make it harder for small businesses to attract customers. Deputy US Attorney General Stanley Woodward called the decision a "significant victory" for the Justice Department's efforts to protect and restore competition. Woodward added that the department is reviewing the document and possible further legal actions.