Epic Games beats Google in Google Play Store monopoly dispute

A court in California decided last Monday (11) to give Epic Games the winning a lawsuit filed against Google in 2020. The creator of Fortnite claimed that the company had established a monopoly in the mobile sector by making the use of the Google Play store and the Google Play Billing payment management system mandatory.

The jury in charge of the case voted unanimously in favor of Epic Games, declaring that the company ended up being harmed by the behavior of the rival company. The decision also considered that the connection between the store and the payment system is illegal, and that Google works with a system of agreements with external partners with anti-competitive characteristics.

Epic Games had a historic victory over GoogleSource: Disclosure/Epic Games

In response to the verdict, Google’s vice president of public affairs and policy, Wilson White, stated that She will appeal the decision. For him, the judgment made it clear that the systems established on Android “compete intensely” with Apple and its App Store, as well as with mobile stores from other companies and with table consoles.

Epic Games claims that victory belongs to all developers

On its official blog, Epic Games celebrated the decision, stating that it is a “victory for all app developers and consumers around the world”. The verdict would prove that Google Play’s practices are illegal and that its owner abuses her power to establish a monopoly and charge abusive fees.

Victory over Google! After 4 weeks of detailed court testimony, the California jury found against the Google Play monopoly on all counts. The Court’s work on remedies will start in January. Thanks for everyone’s support and faith! Free Fortnite! https://t.co/ITm4YBHCus

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) December 12, 2023

The legal dispute has to do with Fortnite, which was removed from the store after its developers provided alternative means of purchasing items and virtual money that did not pay Google Play fees. The title was also removed from the App Store for the same reason, which resulted in a separate lawsuit against Apple — in which Epic was defeated.

In the case against Google, the developer asks that all interested developers have the freedom to use your own stores and payment methods on Android. However, it remains unclear whether Judge James Donato will grant this request. The two sides are expected to meet with him in January to discuss a possible amicable solution.

However, the judge has already made it clear that he will not grant Epic Games any preventive injunction that would prevent Google from being able to “reintroduce the same problems through creative solutions”. According to him, if the developer has problems again, it will be welcomed on a new visit to the courts.