Epic Games won the three-year legal battle launched by Google over the way it manages the Play Store. As reported by The Verge, a jury at a month-long trial in San Francisco ruled that the Google Play Store and its billing service were an illegal monopoly, just hours after beginning deliberations in the early hours.
Epic’s claim that Google not only has a monopoly on Android apps through the Google Play Store, but also engages in anti-competitive practices by paying developers to keep that monopoly intact, was accepted by the jury.
Epic Games said in a blog post about the jury’s verdict in the case that it was “a victory for all app developers and consumers around the world.” The blog post also states that Google’s “app store practices are illegal” and that it abuses its monopoly “to stifle competition and curtail innovation.”
The Verge also obtained a statement on the decision from Wilson White, Google’s VP of Government Affairs and Public Policy, and learned that the company plans to appeal the decision. White stated that Android and Google Play provide more choice and openness than any other major mobile platform, recalling that the case clearly shows that they are in “cutthroat competition with Apple and the App Store, as well as the app stores on Android devices and game consoles.” “We will continue to defend the business model and remain committed to our users, partners and the broader Android ecosystem.”
Epic Games first filed a lawsuit against Google in August 2020. This comes after Epic launched its own in-game currency system for its popular game Fortnite, which goes against Google Play Store’s policies. Epic filed a similar lawsuit against Apple in 2020. However, with subsequent trials and objections, most of the case was resolved in Apple’s favor.
In its lawsuit against Google, Epic wasn’t seeking any monetary damages if it won, but it wanted Google to fully deregulate Android to allow it to support full gaming app stores with its own billing practices.
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