Epic Games wins antitrust lawsuit against Google: Jury declares Google’s app store an illegal monopoly
Daniel Levi
Posted On December 12, 2023
Epic Games scored a major victory on Monday three years after suing Apple and Google over claims of running monopolistic app stores. In the latest Epic v. Google case, a federal court jury ruled in favor of Epic, declaring Google’s Google Play store and billing service as an illegal monopoly.
The jury concluded that Google imposed anti-competitive barriers in its Android app store, causing harm to both smartphone users and app developers. This ruling dealt a significant blow to Google’s tech dominance.
Epic Games celebrated the verdict as a win for app developers and consumers worldwide, criticizing Google for allegedly using its monopoly to charge excessive fees, stifle competition, and limit innovation. The jury reached a unanimous decision after just three hours of deliberation following a four-week trial centered around Google’s payment system in the Play Store.
In a blog post, Epic Games said:
“Today’s verdict is a win for all app developers and consumers around the world. It proves that Google’s app store practices are illegal and they abuse their monopoly to extract exorbitant fees, stifle competition and reduce innovation.”
The lawsuit, initiated by Epic Games, accused Google of safeguarding its Play Store from competition to protect a highly lucrative revenue stream that generates billions annually. Similar to Apple’s practices in its iPhone app store, Google collects a commission ranging from 15% to 30% on in-app transactions.
While Apple emerged victorious in a comparable lawsuit brought by Epic concerning the iPhone app store, the 2021 trial’s outcome is currently under appeal at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Interestingly, the jury in the Play Store case viewed the situation differently, despite Google technically permitting Android apps to be downloaded from various stores—an option restricted by Apple for the iPhone.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney couldn’t contain his joy as the verdict was announced. A broad smile lit up his face, and he enthusiastically patted his lawyers on the back. He even extended a handshake to a Google attorney, expressing gratitude for their professional conduct during the proceedings.
“Victory over Google! After 4 weeks of detailed court testimony, the California jury found against the Google Play monopoly on all counts. The Court’s work on remedies will start in January. Thanks for everyone’s support and faith! Free Fortnite!” Sweeney said in a post on X.
Victory over Google! After 4 weeks of detailed court testimony, the California jury found against the Google Play monopoly on all counts. The Court’s work on remedies will start in January. Thanks for everyone’s support and faith! Free Fortnite! https://t.co/ITm4YBHCus
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) December 12, 2023
