Epic Games, the maker of the popular game Fortnite, has scored a major victory in its legal battle with Google after a federal jury found the internet giant has a monopoly on Android apps.
After a month-long trial, a jury in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco ruled Monday that Google has monopoly power in the Android app distribution and in-app billing services market. Additionally, the jury found that Google illegally tied together the Google Play app store and the Google Play Billing payment service. A copy of the verdict form is available at this link.
“Victory for Google!” Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney Posted “After four weeks of detailed court testimony, a California jury has ruled against Google Play’s monopoly on all counts. Court relief efforts will begin in January. Thank you for your support and confidence. Yes! Fortnite for free!”
In August 2020, Epic Games sued Google and Apple for making similar claims against Apple’s App Store. Epic alleged that both internet companies operate an illegal monopoly that forces app makers to use its in-app payment system and imposes a 30% “tax” on apps. In the case against Apple, a judge ruled in September 2021 that there was no evidence that Apple’s App Store had a monopoly and that the 30% fee Apple charges app developers was justified. Epic and Apple are both seeking appeal to the Supreme Court.
In the Google case, U.S. District Judge James Donato will decide what relief Epic will receive. Epic is not seeking monetary damages in the lawsuit. Rather, Epic “seeks injunctive relief to break Google’s promise to provide an open and competitive Android ecosystem to all users and industry participants,” the gaming company said in its original lawsuit.
Google said it plans to appeal the ruling. “This case makes clear that we are in fierce competition with Apple and its App Store, as well as the App Store for Android devices and game consoles,” Wilson White, Google’s vice president of government and public policy, said in a statement. It became,” he said. “We remain committed to Android’s business model and remain deeply committed to our users, partners and the broader Android ecosystem.”
According to a blog post on Epic Games’ site, the jury’s verdict on Monday was that “Google’s app store practices are illegal, exploiting its monopoly to charge exorbitant fees, stifle competition, and reduce innovation.” “We have proven that there is a According to Epic, Google “imposes a 30% tax on developers simply because it prevents the emergence of a strong competitor that offers a better deal.”
“During the course of the trial, we learned that in order to suppress alternative app stores, Google paid developers money to abandon their own store efforts and direct distribution plans, and in exchange for eliminating app stores, Google offered very favorable deals to device manufacturers. “We’ve seen evidence that competing app stores are willing to pay billions of dollars to offer free contracts,” Epic said. “These deals were aimed at strengthening Google’s dominance as the city’s only app store, and it worked. More than 95% of apps are sold through the Play Store on Android. It has been distributed.”