Prosecutors in 36 states in the United States have sued Google for abuse of power over its app store, in which developers must pay a 30% commission on sales made in their apps, as The Verge reports. The complaint document can be viewed, in which it is read that US prosecutors accuse Google, something relatively similar to the lawsuit between Apple and Epic Games over the issue of commissions in the App Store.
Google reacted strongly on its blog, with an entry in which defend that Android is a free operating system that increases competition And that a good chunk of Android phones come with more than one app store preinstalled.
Google faces new antitrust lawsuit
36 states have filed a 144-page antitrust complaint against Google, accusing the tech giant of abusing its position with the Play Store. The lawsuit states that Google uses anti-competitive tactics, forcing developers to go through their app store to reach users, paying an “outrageous up to 30%” commission along the way.
One of the most salient points of the lawsuit is that Google, according to the indictment, paid Samsung not to develop its Galaxy Store.
Likewise, the lawsuit accuses Google of trying to pay Samsung Electronics Co. to prevent the Korean company from creating its own app store. Also, according to the complaint, Google “bought” the developers of Epic Games to prevent the distribution of Fortnite outside its store.
“Google has been the guardian of the Internet for many years, but more recently it has also become the guardian of our digital devices, which forces us all to pay more for the software we use every day.” Letitia James, New York Attorney General.
The high demand lays various charges against Google, indicating that “it has a monopoly on the market for Android applications”, that “Google is closing the distribution of applications to its competitors” and that by preinstalling applications, it leaves its competitors out of the competition.
This is not the first time that Google has faced an antitrust lawsuit. In October 2020, the US Department of Justice sued Google for dominance. Likewise, although for other reasons, CEDRO recently denounced Google in Europe for Discover.
Google’s response has been overwhelming
Google has responded strongly to the accusation with text starting to indicate that today apps can be downloaded from competing stores or, directly, from the developer’s website.
“It is strange that a group of attorneys general have decided to take legal action attacking a system that offers more openness and options than others. This complaint mimics a similar baseless lawsuit filed by large app developer Epic Games, which benefited from the openness of Android by distributing its Fortnite app outside of Google Play. ” Google.
According to Google, the technology competes “vigorously and fairly”, indicating that “choice has always been a basic principle of Android” and that manufacturers and operators themselves can preload applications in the operating system.
We will therefore be closely following this new lawsuit between states and Google, in which it is once again put on the table whether commissions and the distribution of apps in major operating systems provide anti-competitive advantages for companies.
Via | The edge
