Google keeps its ad-tech business, but court orders a reset

A federal judge has rejected the US Justice Department’s attempt to make Google sell AdX, the marketplace where publishers auction website ad space in milliseconds. The ruling comes after the same judge found last year that Google illegally monopolized key parts of the machinery publishers use to sell display ads; instead of a forced sale, Google must alter its conduct in ways intended to give rivals a fairer chance. The precise requirements are not yet public because the full opinion remains sealed for redactions. It is Google’s second recent escape from a court-ordered breakup, showing that proving illegal monopoly power and persuading a court to dismantle a business are very different hurdles.