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A US federal judge has ruled Google illegally acquired and maintained a monopoly in digital advertising, the latest antitrust defeat for the technology giant that could result in it being forced to divest parts of its business.

Leonie Brinkema, the district judge presiding over the case in Virginia, on Thursday said Google had “wilfully” monopolised two parts of the digital advertising market: the technology online publishers use to sell ad space, and the biggest exchange on which businesses bid for ads.

However, Brinkema found the US Department of Justice, which brought the case, was not able to prove Google unfairly dominated the third component of the market, advertiser ad networks.

The ruling comes after a federal judge in a separate antitrust case last year found the company spent billions of dollars on exclusive deals to maintain an illegal monopoly on search.

The second phase of that trial, in which the court will determine remedies that could include forcing Google to sell parts of its business, begins next week.

The DoJ asked in the search case for Google to sell its Chrome browser, cease $20bn in payments to Apple each year to be its default search engine, and share more data with rivals.

Brinkema on Thursday wrote: “For over a decade, Google has tied its publisher ad server and ad exchange together through contractual policies and technological integration, which enabled the company to establish and protect its monopoly power in these two markets.”

“Google further entrenched its monopoly power by imposing anti-competitive policies on its customers and eliminating desirable product features,” she added.

But she rejected the way the DoJ had tried to define the third part of the market, saying the term “advertiser ad network” was uncommon in the industry and “unduly exclude[s]” publishers.

Google said: “We won half of this case and we will appeal the other half . . . We disagree with the court’s decision regarding our publisher tools. Publishers have many options and they choose Google because our ad tech tools are simple, affordable and effective.”

The ruling is the latest win for the former antitrust officials appointed by ex-president Joe Biden who brought and litigated the case before Donald Trump returned to the White House.

Jonathan Kanter, the former head of the DoJ’s antitrust unit, said in a post on X on Thursday: “Today is a huge victory for antitrust enforcement, the media industry, and the free and open internet . . . Google is now an illegal monopolist twice over.”

Antitrust officials appointed by Trump have strongly signalled they intend to adopt a tough stance on enforcement, especially against Big Tech. The US Federal Trade Commission this week began making its case against Meta in a monopoly trial in Washington federal court.

“This is a landmark victory in the ongoing fight to stop Google from monopolising the digital public square,” US attorney-general Pam Bondi said in a statement. “This Department of Justice will continue taking bold legal action to protect the American people from encroachments on free speech and free markets by tech companies.”

The EU’s competition chief Teresa Ribera said earlier on Thursday: “We take note of the decision and we will study it with interest. The case being analysed by the European Commission continues.”

The commission is also investigating Google for favouring its own advertising services.

Additional reporting by Barbara Moens in Brussels

Video shows a student during lock down at Florida State University while an FSU warning message plays an “FSU alert” stating there is a “dangerous and life-threatening situation” on campus. Later, FSU posted an alert that law enforcement had “neutralized the threat,” and a law enforcement source told CNN the shooter was shot.

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The head of the world’s largest mining company has said the outlook for the global economy depends on China’s ability to invigorate domestic consumption, as Donald Trump’s tariffs threaten to disrupt global trade.

Mike Henry, chief executive of Australia’s BHP, said the direct tariff impact on the miner had been “limited”, but the potential for slower economic growth and a fragmented trading environment was a bigger issue for it.

“China’s ability to shift towards a consumption-led economy and for trade flows to adapt to the new environment will be key to sustaining the global outlook,” said Henry.

The comment from the Melbourne-based miner echoed rival Rio Tinto’s a day earlier, when it pointed to “an uncertain future impact from tariffs on the commodity markets going forward”.

China’s booming property and industrial sectors have helped drive demand for commodities including iron ore and copper over the past two decades, boosting global mining companies.

Weakness in the Chinese property market has stifled the sector’s outlook over the past year, but miners including BHP have expressed confidence that China’s plan to revitalise domestic consumption and restore confidence in its economy will bolster demand.

BHP on Thursday said copper production had increased 10 per cent in the three months to the end of March, while iron ore was flat and nickel and coal volumes declined.

The miner has focused on expanding its copper production to meet future demand for a commodity considered key to the energy transition.

It produced 1.5mn tonnes of copper in the nine months to the end of March, a record owing largely to the performance of its Chilean mines and a stabilisation of its assets in South Australia, which were hit by bad weather earlier in the year.

BHP shares, which have fallen 8 per cent over the past month in the market turmoil from the looming trade war between China and the US, gained more than 1 per cent on Thursday.

Analysts said the “robust” production performance affirmed that the company would deliver volumes at the upper end of its forecasts in most of its key commodities.

The miner continued its push to exit coal assets, revealing this week it had received government permission to close its Mount Arthur mine in northern New South Wales by 2030 — reversing a previous plan to run the giant site until 2045 — and would instead explore whether it can convert the site into a hydropower facility.