US judge rejects demand for forced sale of parts of Google’s business
Judge Leonie Brinkema of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia rejected the U.S. Department of Justice’s demand for the forced sale of parts of Google’s business. The decision complicates the European Commission’s position, which had previously stated that divesting part of the business could be the only way to eliminate the company’s inherent conflict of interest in the digital advertising market, Politico Europe reports.
In April 2025, a U.S. judge found that Google had committed violations in a case initiated by the U.S. Department of Justice. In the new ruling, Brinkema stated that the structural separation of part of the business was not necessary to remedy the violations established in the case.
European Commission’s position
About a year ago, the European Commission fined Google €2.95 billion for monopolizing the digital advertising market. In September, the European Commission stated that divesting part of the business appeared to be the only way to resolve the company’s inherent conflict of interest.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
The European Commission continues to assess Google’s plan to comply with its requirements. The company submitted it in November 2025, proposing changes to the operation of its tools instead of selling assets. The European Commission extended the assessment period to analyze the proposal in detail and determine whether it meets the requirements.
Complexity of measures in the EU
Anthony Whelan, Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition, stated that structural measures in cases where parties have already made investments are complex and may be politically controversial. Google’s tools for buying and selling advertising, as well as its ad exchange, operate as a single global system, so separating part of the business only in Europe may be difficult.
Google is appealing the European Commission’s decision before the EU General Court and said it was “very pleased” with the U.S. court’s ruling. A European Commission spokesperson said that the investigation in the Google Adtech case continues as a priority.
