In a significant court ruling, Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, emerged victorious in the major legal battle against Google.
The court's ruling concluded that Google exercises "illegal monopoly power" through its app store for Android devices.
Epic Games launched legal action against Google and Apple in 2020, accusing the tech giants of abusing control over app stores. Their actions led to complaints from developers about the high “tax” on financial transactions (from 15% to 30%).
See also: Epic Games CEO: “Google is a dictator in its Play Store”
The court ruled against Google, finding illegal strategies to maintain a monopoly in the Android mobile app store. Epic CEO Tim Sweeneyappeared pleased with the decision.
“We beat Google!” he announced on X (formerly Twitter).
“After four weeks of testimony in court, the court ruled against monopoly on all counts.” However, the final resolution of the case depends on the judge, who will determine the measures to address the harm identified by the court.
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“We will continue to defend the Android business model and remain committed to our users, partners, and the broader Android ecosystem,” said Wilson White, Google’s vice president of government and public policy.
Android phones account for about 70% of the global smartphone market share, so this ruling against Google and in favor of Epic Games is significant.
During the trial, details were presented about Google's "aggressive" efforts to establish Google Play as the exclusive payment method for third-party apps, including Fortnite. The court's view differs from Google's defense that it technically allows Android apps to be downloaded from various stores — something Apple prohibits on the iPhone.
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It remains to be seen what steps Google will have to take to reverse its illegal behavior on the Play Store. The judge announced that he will hold hearings on the matter during the second week of January.
Apple and Google defend the fees they receive from their app stores, arguing that they are an “industry standard” and have benefits such as transaction security and protection from malware. However, ongoing legal challenges show that the tech giants’ practices are under increasing scrutiny. At the same time, Google is facing legal problems in Washington, where the Justice Department accuses it of illegal actions aimed at maintaining its dominance in search.
Information source: https://www.news.com.au
