Epic Games has won a notable victory in the Northern California District Court against Google. The jury determined that Google effectively has monopoly power in the Android app distribution markets and in-app billing services. The court’s decision comes three years since Epic Games filed its initial complaint after its hit game Fortnite was removed from the Play Store due to Epic’s circumvention of Google’s app store fees on purchases in-app, i.e. the “Google tax”.
Today’s verdict is a victory for all app developers and consumers around the world. It shows that Google’s app store practices are illegal and abuse their monopoly to command exorbitant fees, stifle competition, and reduce innovation. – Epic Games press release
The Northern California District Court has not yet revealed the exact measures that would be taken against Google. The court is expected to begin working on the remedies in January. Google’s official response arrived shortly after the conclusion of the trial in favor of Epic Games with the clear intent to appeal the verdict.
We intend to contest the verdict. Android and Google Play offer more choice and openness than any other major mobile platform. The trial made it clear that we compete fiercely with Apple and its App Store and app stores on Android devices and game consoles. We will continue to defend the Android business model and remain deeply committed to our users, partners and the Android ecosystem overall. – Wilson White, executive of government affairs and public policy at Google
The mobile version of Fortnite was removed from both the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store in 2020. Epic had previously attempted to sue Apple on the same grounds as Google, but the court ultimately ruled in favor of Apple. However, it required the iPhone maker to offer a third-party in-app payment system.
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