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A US jury has found that Google is illegally running a monopoly with its Google Play store.
The verdict came after Epic Games sued Google in 2020 after Google pulled Fortnite from Google Play when Epic added a direct payment option to deny Google a cut of the revenues. Thus, Epic argued in its lawsuit that Google has a monopoly over Android app distribution.
The jury agreed, siding with Epic Games on all 11 questions related to whether Google violated US and California antitrust laws with how it managed the company’s app store. In addition, the jury found Google maintained a monopoly through Android’s in-app billing system.
The ruling could force Google to change its app store rules, which has helped the Play Store become the dominant Android app provider and a major money-maker. In filing the lawsuit, Epic Games originally argued that Google eliminated competition in Android app distribution by “using myriad contractual and technical barriers” to force developers to use the Play Store.
The jury sided with Epic, and found that Google has been restricting business in the Android market through its Developer Distribution Agreement for Google Play and other programs, including Project Hug, which paid developers hundreds of millions of dollars to keep their games on the app store.
The jury also found Google damaged Epic Games’ business by running the monopoly. In response, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney celebrated the win while noting that “the court’s work on remedies will start in January.”
However, Google plans on appealing the verdict. The company’s VP for government affairs, Wilson White, told PCMag: “Android and Google Play provide more choice and openness than any other major mobile platform. 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. We will continue to defend the Android business model and remain deeply committed to our users, partners, and the broader Android ecosystem.”
In 2020, Epic Games also sued Apple for allegedly running a monopoly through the iOS App Store. But the judge largely ruled in Apple’s favor.