Image: Andrii/Adobe Stock A new court ruling could change the dominant role Google has held in the digital advertising market since the release of AdWords in late 2000. On April 17, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled that Google illegally monopolized two markets: one for publisher ad servers and one for online ad exchanges. Antitrust investigators were unable to prove a monopoly in the advertiser ad networks market. Brinkema said Google is guilty of “willfully acquiring and maintaining monopoly power,” adding that “this exclusionary conduct substantially harmed Google’s publisher customers, the competitive process, and, ultimately, consumers of information on the open web.” Previous legal troubles This isn’t the first time Google has been investigated for antitrust violations. In 2020, 10 US states — including Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, and Utah — sued the company, accusing it of partnering with Facebook to illegally manipulate online advertising auctions. In August 2024, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google held an illegal monopoly in the online search market. Specifically, this …