Epic Scores An Absolute Win In Its Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google
The three-year legal battle between Epic Games and Google over antitrust allegations has come to an end with the former snagging an absolute win.
The jury unanimously sided with Epic on its claims that Google monopolized Android app distribution through the Google Play Store and Google Play Billing, engaged in anti-competitive practices, and caused damage to Epic’s business. They also found the app store and its related billing service to be illegal and that Google’s app distribution agreements with mobile app developers were monopolistic.
“Today’s verdict is a win for all app developers and consumers around the world,” Epic wrote in its official statement. “It proves that Google’s app store practices are illegal and they abuse their monopoly to extract exorbitant fees, stifle competition and reduce innovation.”
“Over the course of the trial we saw evidence that Google was willing to pay billions of dollars to stifle alternative app stores by paying developers to abandon their own store efforts and direct distribution plans, and offering highly lucrative agreements with device manufacturers in exchange for excluding competing app stores,” the studio added.
Judge James Donato, the judge presiding over the case, has yet to rule on the concessions and reparations that Google will have to make, although Epic made it clear from the start that weren’t after monetary damages. Instead, the Fortnite developer is asking the court to allow mobile app developers to freely launch their own storefronts and introduce their own payment processes and services, which was what started the legal battle what seems like ages ago.
To recap, Epic filed separate antitrust lawsuits against Apple and Google Play back in 2020 when both companies pulled Fortnite from their respective storefronts following Epic’s decision to add a direct payment button within the mobile version of the game. Epic partially lost its case against Apple and, as of this week, scored a slam dunk in its lawsuit against Google.
Epic and Google are scheduled to meet with Judge Donato in mid-January to hash out the details of Google’s “punishment” for lack of a better term. Meanwhile, Google is unsurprisingly following Apple’s lead and is already preparing to appeal the jury’s decision.
“The trial made clear that we compete fiercely with Apple and its App Store, as well as app stores on Android devices and gaming consoles,” said Wilson White, Google's VP of Government Affairs and Public Policy. “We will continue to defend the Android business model and remain deeply committed to our users, partners, and the broader Android ecosystem.”
