Alphabet Inc.’s Google faced an epic antitrust lawsuit Monday after a jury sided with Fortnite developer Epic Games in a lawsuit alleging that Google’s Play Store operated as an illegal monopoly through fees and access restrictions. received a lawsuit.
The month-long trial ended with a jury agreeing with Epic’s case on all counts, according to court filings. Epic said Google’s Play Store (second only to Apple’s App Store) made a mistake in charging app developers as much as 30%.
“[The verdict] “This proves that Google’s app store practices are illegal and abuse its monopoly to charge exorbitant fees, stifle competition, and reduce innovation,” Epic said on its website. stated in the statement above. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney celebrated the decision on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “A victory over Google!”
Google has promised to appeal the ruling. “We continue to protect Android’s business model and remain deeply committed to our users, partners, and the broader Android ecosystem,” the company said in a statement.
Epic’s lawsuit included allegations that Google illegally combined the Play Store and billing services and allowed developers to use both to publish apps on the store. The ruling could force Google to allow more app stores on Android devices, potentially eliminating a powerful revenue stream.
During the trial, Google attorney Jonathan Kravis told jurors that “Google doesn’t want to lose its 60 million Android users every year to Apple,” and Google remains competitive with the Cupertino, Calif., technology company. He said that he has lowered the fee structure in order to do so. Possesses great power. “This is not the action of a monopoly,” he insisted.
Epic filed a similar lawsuit against Apple in 2020, but judges largely ruled in Apple’s favor. Epic asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate key parts of its case.
U.S. District Judge James Donato will now decide whether and how Google applies that decision to its app store. Epic did not seek monetary damages, but simply a change in policy. The court is expected to take up relief in January.