Google violated antitrust laws through anticompetitive transactions in its Play mobile app store, a San Francisco jury unanimously found today. The ruling marks the first major defeat for a major technology company in a U.S. court in a years-long campaign by rivals, regulators and prosecutors to rein in the power of the internet’s gatekeepers.
The case then moves to the relief stage. That means the justices will hear arguments in the coming weeks and decide whether to order changes to Google’s business practices. If Google is forced to allow rival app stores to download from Play or split a large portion of the revenue with developers who sell digital items within their apps, devices running Google’s Android operating system users may be able to choose from more apps at lower prices. .
The ruling was handed down in a lawsuit first filed in 2020 by Epic Games, known for its blockbuster games. fortnite and developer tools, discussed before the jury in early November. The nine jurors (a 10th juror dropped out during the trial) deliberated for three hours before reaching their verdict. They faced 11 questions, including the definition of product and geographic markets and whether Google engaged in anticompetitive conduct in those areas.
Epic restricts Google from offering any competition to the Play Store, which accounts for more than 95% of all downloads to Android phones in the United States, to smartphone manufacturers, wireless carriers, and app developers. He was accusing them of being in trouble.
Google has denied any wrongdoing and said its sole purpose is to provide a safe and engaging experience for users, especially in the face of competition from Apple, the iPhone and the App Store.
Google and Epic had no immediate comment.
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