A U.S. federal judge on Wednesday denied the Department of Justice's request to
force divestiture of Alphabet's Google (GOOG.O) online advertising business.
Judge Leonie Brinkema, who last year found Google had illegally monopolized the
complex online advertising market, rejected the DOJ's argument that selling
Google's ad exchange was the only way to curb its dominance and instead issued a
two‑page order adopting alternative remedies to limit Google's ability to
control publishers' use of its ad tech. The ruling is historically significant
and effectively closes a nearly 20‑year chapter of antitrust risk for Google.
