May 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Justice said Google should divest two of its ad products after a ruling said it illegally acquired and kept a monopoly in the tech advertising sector.
On Monday, Justice Department officials urged a federal judge in Virginia in a late-night court filing to order Google to sell off its AdX exchange business and oversee a "phased" sale of its platform to unite publishers called DoubleClick for Publishers.
Last month, federal Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled that Google willfully monopolized digital advertising in alleged violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, saying it harmed its publisher customers, the competitive process and U.S. consumers of online information.
"Plaintiffs have proven that Google has willfully engaged in a series of anticompetitive acts to acquire and maintain monopoly power in the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets for open-web display advertising," the ruling said.
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