Fortnite maker Epic Games wants to reform Play Store after court win

Fortnite video game maker Epic Games is urging a California federal judge to force Google to open its Play Store to greater competition after a jury found the U.S. tech giant abused its role as a gatekeeper of apps for the Android mobile platform. that power.

Epic made the proposal in a court filing filed Thursday with U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco, seeking in part to require the Google Play Store to allow users more freedom in downloading apps and restrict Google The ability to reach agreements with device manufacturers to limit preloading on competing app stores.

Epic said in a statement on Friday that it should be allowed to bring the Epic Games Store to Android “without any delays or obstacles.” The company also said consumers and developers must have greater control over “how in-app purchases are made and delivered” without being subject to anti-competitive fees and restrictions.

Google responded to Epic in a statement on Friday, saying the court filing “once again demonstrates [Epic] Just want to enjoy the benefits of Google Play without paying. “Android is an open mobile platform that faces fierce competition from Apple and other competitors,” Google said.

In December, Donato presided over a blockbuster antitrust trial that ended with a jury ruling against Alphabet’s Google.

Donato won’t necessarily agree to Epic’s proposal, and it’s likely to be an uphill battle before any permanent order is issued against Google. But the new documents provide the next key test of Google’s ability to exert control over app developers and consumers.

The jury said in December that Google illegally hindered developers’ ability to distribute apps freely outside the Google Play Store and had too strict payment controls for in-app transactions. Google charges an industry standard 30% commission on many apps and in-app purchases.

Google has defended its App Store practices and denied any wrongdoing. The deadline for the company to respond to Epic’s proposal is May 3. Epic’s lawsuit does not seek monetary damages.

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said Google’s December settlement was not enough to restore competition in the Play Store.

North Carolina-based Epic Games is a private company in which China’s Tencent held a 40% stake as of February and Walt Disney held about 9%.

Google agreed in December to pay $700 million to resolve state and consumer accusations over its Play Store restrictions.

The company said at the time that it was expanding the ability of app and game developers to offer consumers alternative billing options for in-app purchases. Google says it has been piloting opt-in billing in the U.S. for more than a year.

Google said it would appeal the December antitrust jury’s ruling and could independently challenge any reforms ordered by Donato, which could drag out the case for years.

Epic filed a similar case against Apple in 2020, challenging its control of the App Store, and it is still pending after a non-jury trial and appeal.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)