A judge in the U.S. decides that Google had monopolized the advertisement technology markets, which is a significant victory for Gannett and other online publishers.

A federal judge in New York declared that Google had illegally monopolized the online advertisement technology and stolen revenues of online publishers and advertisers. The decision is a huge success for Gannett, the biggest newspaper chain in the United States with the largest number of publications and USA TODAY and other plaintiffs.

U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel ordered a partial summary judgment in which Google was deemed guilty of taking advantage of its monopoly over AdTech placement technology to kill off competition and other victims, being publishers. The decision cited the results of a previous Justice Department antitrust case, which likewise wrote that Google upheld its monopoly by use of exclusionary methods.

Gannett CEO Mike Reed said the decision was a significant milestone in the overall battle against antitrust and legal experts said it greatly enables the wronged publishers to seek damages.

Google has been the target of growing criticism for supposedly corrupting the digital advertising market, which is estimated to be more than 200 billion dollars in the U.S. The company argues that its AdTech solutions are beneficial to the publishers and the advertisers.

According to analysts, the case may transform the AdTech industry, where many of the operating automated advertising systems will be brought to bear greater levels of transparency and competition.