The Google ad tech ruling: what publishers actually get

Google kept its ad exchange. So nothing changes for you? Wrong.

A remedy is the fix a court orders after finding a monopoly.

On September second, twenty twenty-six, Judge Brinkema refused to make Google sell AdX, its ad exchange. Instead, she ordered conduct rules for six years, watched by a monitor. First, AdX must bid into Prebid and rival ad servers, on the same terms Google’s own ad server gets. Picture news.example’s Prebid auction. AdX bids two dollars forty, SSP A two ten, SSP B two fifty-five. B wins. Second, no first look or last look, so no first pick and no peeking at rival bids. Third, you get data on which bids won or lost. Pricing rules can also set a floor per bidder, live since December twenty twenty-five. The rules cover open web display, not apps or CTV. Google plans to appeal, and deadlines start once the final judgment takes effect.

Today, open your pricing rules. Does every bidder still share one floor?

Next, pricing rules after the Google ruling.