United States – PubMatic has filed a lawsuit against Google in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, seeking financial damages and measures to restore what it describes as fair competition in digital advertising.
The move follows an April 2025 ruling by the US District Court, which found that Google had “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.”
According to PubMatic, Google’s conduct limited its ability to expand market share and revenue, while also harming publishers, advertisers, and consumers. The company alleges that Google’s dominance resulted in higher advertising costs, reduced diversity of content, and less transparency in the ecosystem.
“For nearly two decades, PubMatic has delivered sustainable innovation and efficiency in digital advertising, empowering publishers to maximise their revenue and deliver quality content to users worldwide,” said Rajeev Goel, PubMatic’s co-founder and CEO.
He added, “Google’s systematic abuse of its vast resources and immense power has harmed our business and distorted a marketplace that should have rewarded innovation and fueled transparency and competition. Instead, anticompetitive practices limited monetisation for publishers, raised costs for advertisers, and ultimately reduced choice for consumers.”
The company said the lawsuit seeks not only to hold Google accountable but also to re-establish a competitive digital advertising environment.
PubMatic is represented in the case by Hueston Hennigan LLP. Following this news, MARKETECH APAC has reached out to Google for their statement on this matter.
“Since founding PubMatic almost 20 years ago, our vision has been to fuel the endless potential of content creators on the open internet, delivering superior technology and transparent practices. Over that time, we have built our business on industry-defining innovation, differentiated infrastructure, and a relentless focus on delivering better services for publishers and advertisers alike,” Goel further said.
He concluded. “This litigation positions PubMatic, and the broader industry, for stronger long-term growth by holding Google accountable for its past anticompetitive actions and monopolistic behaviours.”
It is worth noting that this lawsuit is related to when the US Department of Justice and a coalition of US states secured a landmark victory against Google in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia back in April this year. In it, the court found that Google had illegally monopolised digital advertising markets, specifically the publisher ad server and ad exchange sectors, by engaging in a series of exclusionary practices. Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled that Google’s conduct harmed publishers, advertisers, and consumers, citing higher ad costs, reduced transparency, and limited competition.
Moreover, the case marked the DOJ’s first major antitrust win in the digital advertising space and built on a broader push to curb Google’s dominance across multiple markets. Remedies are still under consideration, but legal experts suggest structural measures, such as divesting parts of Google’s adtech business, could follow. The ruling adds to ongoing legal pressure on the company, including separate DOJ actions targeting its search engine monopoly.
