Epic Games, the creator of the blockbuster video game Fortnite, has launched its legal offensive against Google in the United States. This lawsuit challenges the hefty commissions that Google imposes on in-app purchases within the Google Play Store, a move that Epic claims betrays Google’s own mantra of “Don’t be evil.” Google has defended its practices by stating that Android offers multiple ways to download apps, thereby denying any monopolistic behavior, as reported by Reuters.
This case adds to a growing list of antitrust legal challenges against Google, including serious allegations from the U.S. Department of Justice accusing Google of illegally monopolizing the search sector.
This isn’t Epic’s first foray into antitrust lawsuits; they previously took on Apple in 2021 over similar issues after Apple removed Fortnite from its app stores, labeling the imposed fees as a “tax” on developers.
However, the judge in Apple’s case dismissed the notion that Apple was a monopoly but did allow apps to direct users away from Apple’s in-app fees.
Epic argues that Google has “eliminated competition in Android app distribution using a series of contracts and technical barriers.” Despite this, Google maintains that there is more competition concerning app distribution compared to other operating systems, asserting that “Android is the only OS that allows multiple ways for developers to distribute apps.”
