“Today’s verdict proves that Google’s app store practices are illegal and they abuse their monopoly to extract exorbitant fees, stifle competition, and reduce innovation,” Epic Games stated on their website.
Earlier, Epic Games filed a lawsuit against Google, alleging that the tech giant exploited its dominant market position to generate excessive profits from app developers through high fees, up to 30%. While Google has denied these allegations, arguing that it competes “intensely on price, quality, and security” against Apple’s App Store.
The lawyers for the two companies made their final arguments on Monday morning after more than a month of trial in Epic’s lawsuit. In response, the jury in San Francisco concluded that Google had indeed maintained a monopoly through engaging in anti-competitive behavior.
Google said it would go for an appeal and continue to defend its Android business model. Google had earlier settled similar claims from dating app maker Match and also antitrust claims by U.S. states and consumers under terms that have not been made public.
The verdict represents a significant setback for Google, a major player in the app store industry alongside Apple. If the decision stands, it has the potential to disrupt the entire app store ecosystem, granting developers greater influence over the distribution and profitability of their apps.
Epic also lodged a similar antitrust case against Apple in 2020, but a U.S. judge largely ruled in favor of Apple in September 2021. It has now asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revive key claims in the Apple case, and Apple is fighting part of a ruling for Epic that would require changes to App Store rules.
