Google will face trial for the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust case on September 22 this year. The DOJ intends to strip Google of its advertising tools.
As part of the DOJ’s attempt to enforce antitrust laws and promote competitive markets, Google will be facing trial later this year in September, where it will defend its ownership of key advertising tools.
Google’s antitrust trial scheduled for September
Alphabet Inc.’s Google is expected to appear in court on September 22, 2025, to contest the Department of Justice’s proposed resolution to its ongoing antitrust case.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) aims to force Google to remove parts of its ad tech services, specifically its publisher ad server and ad exchange tools. The DOJ argues that stripping the firm of these components is necessary to restore the competitive balance in the digital advertising sector.
“The DOJ will seek to have Google sell off its ad exchange and publisher ad server business in a process expected to take several years.” DOJ attorney, Julia Tarver Wood, said.
The case will be overseen by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia. In April earlier this year, the court found that Google unlawfully tied the use of its ad exchange to its ad server, harming competition and publisher interests.
“The conduct harmed competition, and hurt publishers and ultimately internet users,” Brinkema said .
In its defense, Google argued that it wasn’t legally viable to force it to split off parts of its business and that complying with the DOJ’s proposal would be detrimental to internet users.
One of the defense lawyers, Karen Dunn, said the company was open to behavioral remedies like making real-time bids available to competitors, but that the prosecutors could not legally pursue a bid to force Google to sell parts of its business.
Regulators are bringing the hammer down on big tech
The DOJ and other regulatory bodies within and outside the U.S. have recently begun to channel efforts towards addressing antitrust concerns stemming from big tech companies.
Aside from its DOJ antitrust case, Google is facing scrutiny in other areas, including a separate antitrust case where the DOJ is attempting to force the company to sell off its Chrome web browser.
The European Union is also going after major U.S. tech companies after changing its regulatory stance and creating the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
The DOJ went after Apple with a significant antitrust lawsuit back in March 2024. The watchdog alleged that the company unlawfully maintained a monopoly over the smartphone industry.
The DOJ, in collaboration with the Federal Trade Commission ( FTC ), has also pursued antitrust cases against Meta Platforms Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.
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