A federal jury has recently ruled that Google Play Store is an illegal monopoly. This ruling comes as a result of a lawsuit brought against Google by Epic Games, the creator of the popular game Fortnite, Inc. The lawsuit accuses Google of preventing competition between apps. So, what does this ruling mean for ordinary folks who are downloading apps, and what can Google do in response?
According to a tech reporter from The Wall Street Journal, the jury has ruled in favor of Epic Games, but the judge still needs to decide on the specific actions Google must take as a result of this ruling. Epic Games was not seeking monetary damages, but rather, they want Google to change its app store practices. The judge will have to give a ruling on what these changes will look like, and this decision will be made in January.
Epic Games filed the lawsuit against Google because they believe that the tech giant's app store, Google Play, prevents other apps and app makers from having their own game stores or app stores. Epic Games, in particular, wants to have its own app store. The lawsuit argues that Google has illegally maintained a monopoly with its app store and its related billing system. The jury has agreed with this argument.
One of the main issues raised by Epic Games is that when users download an app, any additional purchases or upgrades must be made through that app and cannot be done through other platforms. Google also takes a percentage of the amount of money it costs to download or upgrade apps. Epic Games believes that Google's practice of taking a cut of every purchase made through their app store is unfair.
It is worth noting that a similar lawsuit against Apple is currently in the appeals process. This ruling against Google could potentially have implications for Apple as well. The Apple case is slightly different in that it was a bench trial, meaning it was only heard by a judge, whereas the Google trial had a jury. The outcome of the Apple case is still pending, but it's possible that the Supreme Court could make a decision on it.
Source: Youtube
