Epic Triumphs in Legal Battle: Accusations of Google’s Monopoly Tactics and High Fees in the Play Store Quashed by Antitrust Verdict
In a groundbreaking turn of events, Epic Games has emerged victorious in its high-profile antitrust trial against Google, the tech giant behind the Play app store. The trial, spanning over a month, concluded with jurors ruling in favor of Epic on all counts.
Epic’s lawsuit alleged that Google operated its app store as an illegal monopoly, stifling competition and imposing exorbitant fees of up to 30 percent on app developers. This ruling, if upheld, could have far-reaching implications for the app store economy, potentially shifting the balance of power in favor of developers. With one of the world’s largest app stores at stake, Google now faces the challenge of reassessing its practices and navigating the implementation of remedies in the coming months. The outcome stands as a significant setback for Google, signaling a potential transformation in how apps are distributed and how developers profit from their creations.
Google said it would appeal. “We will continue to defend the Android business model and remain deeply committed to our users, partners, and the broader Android ecosystem,” Wilson White, vice president of government affairs and public policy at Google, said in an emailed statement.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney on Monday cheered the ruling on social media site X, calling out “the Google Play monopoly.”
Lawyers for the two companies made their final arguments on Monday morning and the federal judge handed the case to the jury less than four hours earlier, with instructions that a decision must be unanimous.Among Epic’s allegations were that Google illegally ties together its Play store and billing service, meaning developers were required to use both to have their apps included in the store.
Google settled related claims from dating app maker Match before the trial started. The tech giant also settled related antitrust claims by US states and consumers under terms that have not been made public.Epic lodged a similar antitrust case against Apple in 2020, but a US judge largely ruled in favour of Apple in September 2021.
Epic has asked the US Supreme Court to revive key claims in the Apple case, and Apple is fighting part of a ruling for Epic that would require changes to App Store rules.Epic purposefully violated Play store rules by skirting its billing systems allowing for customers to make in-app purchases directly with Epic, an attorney for the gamemaker said on Monday. As a result, Google banned Fortnite and Epic filed its suit in response.