Epic Games has won the high-profile antitrust trial against Google. It proved that the Google Play Store operated as an illegal monopoly. The verdict may have a big impact on the entire app store industry and could change how things operate within.
After weeks of trial, Epic has won the lawsuit that accuses Google of deliberately quashing competitors and charging extremely high fees to app developers of up to 30%. By January, the court will start to work on the remedies that they will implement.
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Part of the lawsuit alleges that Google illegally combines its Play Store and billing services so developers are required to use both if they want their apps on the Play Store.
This is quite a big defeat for Google which, along with Apple, owns one of the two biggest app stores in the world. If the ruling of the trial stands, it could give developers more options as to how they distribute their apps and how they make money from it.
Google’s VP for Government Affairs and Public Policy Wilson White said that they “will continue to defend the Android business model and remain deeply committed” to their users and partners.
“(Today’s verdict) proves that Google’s app store practices are illegal and they abuse their monopoly to extract exorbitant fees, stifle competition and reduce innovation,” Epic said.
Via: Reuters