In today’s Digest, we look at the DOJ losing its bid to break up Google’s ad tech business, Havas naming Patrick Affleck to lead its newly unified UK & Ireland Village, and the EU court rejecting Opera’s challenge over Microsoft Edge’s DMA exemption.

DOJ loses bid to break up Google’s ad tech business

Google will not be required to spin off its network advertising business, which sells ads across other publishers' websites. US District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema said Google will still need to make changes to its advertising operations, though she stopped short of detailing what those behavioural remedies will look like. The ruling comes as Google continues pursuing an appeal of last April's finding, which determined the company had illegally exploited its dominance across the online advertising and ad tech markets.

Google's VP of Regulatory Affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland, welcomed the decision, saying in a statement that the company was "very pleased the Court rejected the DOJ's proposal to break apart tools that help small businesses reach new customers and grow." As part of that suit, prosecutors had sought to force Google to divest a portion of its network ad business, which at the time accounted for roughly 12% of Alphabet's total revenue.

Havas names Patrick Affleck to lead UK & Ireland village 

Havas has restructured its UK and Ireland operations under a single new leadership model, appointing Patrick Affleck, previously CEO of Havas Media Network UK & Ireland, to the newly created role of CEO of the Havas UK & Ireland Village. The move brings together Havas's operations across London, Manchester, and Dublin under one roof, with Affleck taking charge of media, creative, data, CX, PR, consulting, and design capabilities. Affleck will work alongside Mark Whelan, who remains Chairman and Group Chief Creative Officer of Havas Village UK. 

Affleck said that his focus will be on building on Havas' existing strengths to create greater opportunity for clients, their customers, and the people delivering the work.

EU court rejects Opera’s challenge to edge DMA exemption 

Opera has lost its legal challenge against the European Commission's decision to exempt Microsoft's Edge browser from the EU's Digital Markets Act rules governing Big Tech, the Luxembourg-based General Court ruled Wednesday. The Commission had determined in 2024 that Edge, despite technically meeting the quantitative thresholds set out under the DMA, did not function as a significant gateway for businesses seeking to reach users, and therefore didn't warrant the stricter obligations the law imposes on dominant platforms. 

Opera had argued the Commission misapplied its own criteria in reaching that conclusion, but the court sided firmly with EU regulators, stating that "the General Court upholds the Commission's decision not to designate Microsoft as a gatekeeper in relation to Edge," and finding no error in the Commission's acceptance of Microsoft's arguments demonstrating that Edge wasn't an important gateway.