Dec. 12 (UPI) — In a legal decision that could have wide-ranging implications, a jury has sided with Fortnite maker Epic Games, finding that Google violates antitrust laws with its Android mobile app store.
The California jury on Monday sided with Epic Games on all 11 questions it was asked to consider, including whether Google maintains its monopoly power by engaging in anticompetitive conduct and has injured the game developer by violating antitrust laws.
“Victory over Google,” Tim Sweeney, chief executive officer of Epic Games, said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“This is an example of the greatness of the American justice system,” he said in a separate tweet. “A billion-dollar company challenges a trillion-dollar company over complex antitrust practices, and a jury of nine citizens hears the testimony and renders a verdict.”
The decision comes more than three years after Epic Games filed the lawsuit against Google, seeking to end what the game developer called “Google’s unfair, monopolistic and anticompetitive actions … which harm device makers, app developers, app distributors, payment processors and consumers,” according to its initial court filing.
The litigation came about as a result of both Google and Apple booting Fortnite from their mobile app stores in response to its strategy to have players buy virtual items directly from Epic Games in an effort to cut out both companies, which tax up to 30% on in-app transactions for digital content.
Epic also sued Apple over the issue, but lost the case in 2021, though with a federal judge siding with the U.S. tech giant, and the game developer in September, asked the Supreme Court to review the case.
UPI has asked Google for comment.
Monday’s decision could have wide-ranging implications in the tech world, as Epic Games has not sought monetary compensation but injunctive relief, specifically asking the court to mandate that Google take “all necessary steps to cease” its behavior that was ruled anticompetitive and unfair.
“Today’s verdict is a win for all app developers and consumers around the world,” Sweeney said in a company post.
“It proves that Google’s app store practices are illegal and they abuse their monopoly to extract exorbitant fees, stifle competition and reduce innovation.”
Consumer advocacy group American Economic Liberties Project also heralded the decision as a “major victory.”
“Epic’s decision to forego monetary damages will fundamentally reshape Google’s monopoly, which it has leveraged to exploit app developers and stifle innovation,” Katherine Van Dyck, senior legal counsel at the American Economic Liberties Project, said in a statement Monday.
“This is a message that justice can prevail in the fight against Big Tech’s outsized power over our lives.”
