If so, and provided other criteria are met, your company may be entitled to compensation.
Plaintiffs allege that Google has spent more than a decade executing a coordinated strategy to monopolize key layers of the online display advertising market, a business that generates over $200 billion in annual revenue for the company. According to the complaint, Google leveraged its dominance in publisher ad servers and ad exchanges to foreclose rivals and entrench its vertically integrated ad‑tech stack.
Beginning around 2010, Google allegedly restricted interoperability between its AdX exchange and non‑Google publisher ad servers, allowing only publishers that licensed Google’s own DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP) ad server to receive live, competitive bids from AdX. Plaintiffs contend that this tying arrangement forced publishers into Google’s ad‑server ecosystem and deprived competing exchanges of critical access to inventory.
The lawsuit further alleges that Google used its control over multiple, complementary markets, including publisher ad servers, ad exchanges, and advertiser buying tools, to reinforce and protect its dominance. Plaintiffs claim that Google’s interlocking positions enabled it to engage in a series of mutually reinforcing anticompetitive acts, exclude rivals, manipulate auctions, and maintain supracompetitive take rates across the open‑web display advertising supply chain.
Google denies all allegations of wrongdoing. Google asserts that its ad‑tech products compete vigorously, that its integrations improve efficiency and performance for publishers and advertisers, and that its conduct has enhanced, not harmed, competition in the online advertising marketplace.
Plaintiffs allege that Google used its dominant position in the online display advertising market to unlawfully monopolize key layers of the ad‑tech stack. According to the lawsuit, Google tied its DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP) ad server to its AdX exchange, restricted interoperability with non‑Google ad servers, and used its vertically integrated tools to foreclose competition. These practices allegedly resulted in inflated take rates and reduced revenue for publishers selling ad space on the open web. Google denies all allegations of wrongdoing and maintains that its ad‑tech products enhance competition and efficiency.
You may be eligible if your business:
The certified class includes both direct publishers and “multi‑customer management” firms that manage ad inventory on behalf of publishers. The court excluded AdSense publishers and advertisers from the class.
On December 13, 2025, the court:
- Certified the AdX Publisher Class Publishers who sold ad space through Google’s AdX exchange using DFP. “Publishers who sold ad space through Google’s AdX exchange using Google’s DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP) ad server.”
This includes:
- Open‑web publishers
- Publishers using DFP (DoubleClick for Publishers)
- Publishers whose inventory was sold through AdX
- “Multi‑customer management” firms (entities that manage publisher inventory) explicitly included because their injuries mirror those of publishers mirror those of publishers
Instream video ad sales are excluded from the certified class definition
- Denied Certification to the AdSense Publisher Class and the Advertiser Class
The certified class is the only group currently proceeding toward damages.
The lawsuit alleges that Google:
These alleged practices, according to plaintiffs, reduced competition and suppressed publisher revenue.
Google denies all allegations.
If plaintiffs prevail or a settlement is reached, eligible publishers may recover damages related to:
- Inflated take rates
- Reduced auction competition
- Lost revenue attributable to the alleged DFP–AdX tying
- Harm from Google’s alleged manipulation of open‑web ad auctions
The amount of potential recovery will depend on the court’s findings or the terms of any settlement.
Your business may qualify if:
- You operated a website or digital property that sold display ad inventory
- You used DFP (DoubleClick for Publishers)
- Your inventory was sold through Google’s AdX exchange
- You earned revenue from open‑web display advertising between 2017 and the present
If you used AdSense, Google Ads, or only bought ads (advertisers), you are not part of the certified class.
As of January 8, 2026 there are no settlements in the Google Ad Tech MDL and there is currently no claims process for business claimants.
The case is proceeding toward, classwide discovery, damages modeling, pretrial motions and potentially trial
Google continues to deny all allegations.
The case is officially known as:
In re: Google Digital Advertising Antitrust Litigation, Case Number 1:21-md-03010, proceeding in the Southern District of New York before Judge P. Kevin Castel.
Disclaimer
Class members are not required to sign up with any third-party service in order to participate in the monetary relief, but may instead file their claim directly with the Class Administrator, once appointed. No-cost assistance will be available from the Class Administrator and Class Counsel during the claims-filing period, once established. For additional information class members may visit court approved website for this case, once established.
Please note this website and its contents are not substitutes for legal advice. Nothing in this website should be construed as legal advice. Class Action Settlement House, LLC works with companies to assist them in the filing of claims in various class action settlements. However, Class Action Settlement House, LLC is not a law firm and cannot provide legal representation or legal advice. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact counsel of your choice to obtain legal advice.
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