The long court battle between Epic Games and Google Play is finally over, and Google came out worse for wear. The jury verdict comes three years after Epic filed a suit accusing Google of operating an illegal monopoly with the Google Play store on mobile devices and, specifically, Google Play Billing (thanks, The Verge).
The jury answered yes to each allegation, stating Google has monopoly power in Android app distribution and in-app billing and that its position and anticompetitive actions harmed Epic Games. Epic wasn’t the only one harmed either. During the trial, evidence emerged of secret revenue sharing deals between Google and large corporations such as Netflix and Spotify, where Google didn’t impose Play Billing terms on certain entities – the same terms every other publisher had to abide by.
“We plan to challenge the verdict,” Google VP of government affairs and public policy said in a statement. “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.”
The judge hearing Epic v. Google hasn’t ordered any remediation from Google yet, and it’s unclear what actions they might require Google to take. Epic is aiming for freedom for developers and publishers to implement their own in-app stores on Android devices, though remediation discussions won’t begin until January 2024. While Epic and CEO Tim Sweeney will not seek payment for damages, Sweeny did say during the hearing that Epic stands to make “billions” of dollars by not having to pay Google for Play Billing.
Sweeney also laid off nearly 1,000 Epic employees just weeks before, citing difficult economic headwinds and company mismanagement as the cause.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
