A judge has turned down the US Department of Justice's request to force Google to sell parts of its ads operation, sparing the search giant what the government described as the necessary remedy for an online advertising monopoly. A monopoly, to define the term, is market control so complete that competitors have no realistic footing.
The Department of Justice is the federal government's legal arm for competition enforcement. In this case it sought a divestiture: a court-ordered sale of business assets. A divestiture is a harder remedy than a fine or a new set of operating rules. It requires a company to permanently give up ownership of part of itself.
The judge rejected that request.
What the ruling settles is the remedy, not necessarily the broader factual dispute. Courts deciding competition cases can find a violation and still stop short of ordering the most severe available outcome. The government asked for the break-up. The judge would not go that far.
Google's advertising operation stays intact.