EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA — The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ordered behavioral relief in United States et al. v. Google LLC to remedy monopolization in advertising technology markets. The ruling mandates specific changes to Google’s ad tech stack, including integrations with open-source systems and new data access rights for publishers.

Google must create and support integrations between AdX and Prebid, as well as between DFP and Prebid. Prebid is an open-source industry standard for real-time bidding that facilitates competition among ad servers.

The court also required that AdX submit real-time bids to other publisher ad servers. This provision ensures that Google’s exchange participates in auctions on equal footing with competing platforms rather than operating in isolation.

Publishers will gain greater control over their information under the order. Google must allow publishers to access and export their own data from DFP and AdX, enabling them to move their data to other services if they choose.

The order restricts how Google’s own advertising tools interact with its exchange. AdWords cannot bid preferentially into AdX or other Google ad tech tools. Additionally, AdWords cannot bid directly into DFP, preventing internal advantages in the auction process.

To ensure compliance, Google will be subject to oversight by a monitor and a technical committee for six years. This external supervision aims to verify that the company implements the required behavioral remedies accurately and maintains them over time.

Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. commented on the decision. The Court’s ruling in the Google ad tech case marks a victory for this Department’s efforts to protect and restore competition, he said. "Under President Trump’s and Attorney General Blanche’s leadership, we will never cease fighting for fair competition."

Why It Matters

The behavioral remedies target the structure of digital advertising markets by forcing interoperability between Google’s proprietary tools and open standards like Prebid. By requiring data portability and restricting preferential bidding, the order seeks to lower barriers for publishers who wish to use non-Google ad servers. The six-year oversight period establishes a long-term mechanism to enforce these changes, addressing concerns that previous settlements lacked sufficient monitoring.

Timeline

On September 16, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ordered behavioral relief in United States et al. v. Google LLC to remedy monopolization in advertising technology markets. On the same date, Google was required to create and support integrations between AdX and Prebid. Also on September 16, 2026, AdX was required to submit real-time bids to other publisher ad servers.

Google must allow publishers to access and export their own data from DFP and AdX as of that date. Furthermore, Google will be subject to oversight by a monitor and a technical committee for six years starting September 16, 2026.