San Jose, California, Thursday, December 14 – In a potentially ground-breaking verdict, a federal jury in San Jose ruled on Monday, December 11, that Google’s Play Store operates as an unlawful monopoly.1
Fortnite-maker Epic Games sued both Apple and Google, claiming that both companies were running app stores as monopolies hence they were illegal.
The jury’s decision on the Play Store could have a ripple effect across the tech industry, impacting Apple’s App Store as well and potentially leading to increased scrutiny of other dominant platforms, reports said.
The decision comes after a weeks-long trial brought by Epic Games, the creator of the popular Fortnite video game, which was kicked off the Play Store in 2020 for bypassing Google’s in-app payment system.
The jury sided with Epic’s central argument, finding that Google wields anti-competitive practices within the Android ecosystem, specifically forcing developers to use its payment system and restricting their ability to reach users through alternative app stores.
This verdict, if upheld by the court, could force Google to significantly alter its Play Store policies and potentially open the door for wider antitrust scrutiny of the tech giant.
Google is expected to appeal, maintaining that its Play Store policies protect both developers and users.
Analysts say the verdict represents a significant blow to Google, whose business model relies heavily on app store revenue.
If upheld, the ruling could force Google to adopt a more open app store ecosystem, allowing competing payment systems and potentially lowering fees for developers.
Google is expected to appeal the verdict, leading to a potentially lengthy legal process that could take years to resolve.
- Monopoly : https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/jury-rules-google-app-store-operates-as-monopoly/7396589.html[↩]
