The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., will be required to sell two of its main business units in the digital advertising sector, following a judge's ruling that the company illegally monopolized the markets for buying, selling, and displaying online ads.
In a court filing submitted on Monday, the department demanded that Google immediately start selling its advertising exchange platform "AdX," followed by a gradual sale of the service that helps websites sell their advertising space, known as the publishers' ad server.
The department confirmed that "implementing a comprehensive set of solutions - including the sale of the illegal monopolies that Google obtained and the products that were the main tools of Google's illegal scheme - is essential to ending Google's monopolies."
For its part, Google suggested in a court memo submitted late Monday that its advertising exchange platform work seamlessly with competitors' technologies and that an overseer be appointed to ensure compliance for three years.
It is noteworthy that the Department of Justice's request was not surprising, as it announced in 2023, when filing its first lawsuit against Google for antitrust violations, that it would seek court orders to compel the company to sell some of its products.
In a separate case, the department is also seeking to force Alphabet to sell its popular "Chrome" browser due to the company's illegal monopoly on online search services.
Alphabet's stock (NASDAQ: GOOG) closed yesterday up 0.14% at a trading level of $166, although the stock dipped slightly in after-hours trading by 0.18%.
