Dramatic twist in the case between Epic and Google. After losing his case against Apple, the creator of Fortnite has just won the case against the Mountain View firm. The jurors unanimously admitted that the latter maintains, through various methods, a monopoly on Android with its Play Store. So things could soon change on the operating system.
This is a case that dates back to 2020. That year, Epic Games, the video game giant behind Fortnite and the Unreal Engine, declared war on two other behemoths: Google and Apple. While its cult game has just been banned from the Play Store and the App Store for violating the rules on commissions received by the two platforms via in-game purchases, Epic accuses the two companies of establishing a monopoly on their operating system.
The verdict in its lawsuit against Apple was mixed for both companies, since Apple was forced to relax its regulations, while Fortnite was not allowed to return to the App Store. Today, it is the turn of the Epic vs Google trial to conclude. And this time, the developer can boast of a much more pronounced victory. Indeed, justice has determined that there is indeed a Play Store monopoly on Android.
Epic wins its lawsuit against Google, soon a revolution on Android?
The jury thus unanimously recognized that Google uses various methods to maintain the dominant position of the store on Android, via exclusivity contracts with certain manufacturers or even thanks to Project Hug, this vast campaign to keep developers from mobile games on its store. A strategy that “resulted in higher prices for developers and consumers, as well as a decline in innovation and quality,” according to Gary Bornstein, lawyer for Epic Games.
On the same subject — Google is preparing a function that will make the Play Store much more useful for discovering applications
“Today’s verdict is a victory for all app developers and consumers around the world. It proves that Google’s app store practices are illegal and that they are abusing their monopoly to extract exorbitant fees, stifle competition and reduce innovation. Epic said in a statement, which calls for “legislation and regulations that tackle Apple and Google’s control over smartphones ».
For its part, Google defends itself by arguing that this is the only real way for Android to be competitive with Apple and its App Store. The firm has already indicated its intention to appeal this verdict. Justice is now given one month to determine the new restrictions to impose on the Play Store.
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