Google Loses Monopoly Case Against Epic Games, Creator of Fortnite

A US court has ruled in favor of Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, in its legal battle against Google. The jury determined that Google had operated an illegal monopoly by making its app store dominant over competitors. Epic Games sued Google in 2020, accusing the company of unlawfully suppressing competition. The verdict was welcomed by Epic CEO Tim Sweeney, who announced the victory on social media. The court will now consider the issue of compensation in January. Despite the defeat, Google plans to challenge the outcome and continues to defend its business model, stating that Android and Google Play offer more choice and openness than other mobile platforms. The ruling could potentially give app developers more control over how their apps are distributed and monetized. It may also require Google to allow more app stores on Android devices and result in a loss of revenue from in-app purchases. The case also challenged Google’s transaction fees and the tying together of its Play Store and billing service. Google maintains that its commissions are competitive and provide additional benefits such as security and protection against malware. The Play Store is one of the largest app stores globally and competes with Apple’s App Store. Android powers around 70% of smartphones worldwide, with over 95% of Android apps being distributed through the Play Store. Epic Games accused Google of suppressing innovation and choice through anti-competitive agreements. Google has faced other antitrust cases and settled claims from dating app Match before the Epic trial began. Epic also filed a similar antitrust case against Apple, but a US judge largely ruled in favor of Apple in 2021. Epic plans to challenge that decision as well and calls for legislation and regulations to address the dominance of Apple and Google in the smartphone market.