Epic Games vs. Google antitrust trial gets under way
Another big tech antitrust trial gets under way today as Epic Games squares off against Google over control of the app stores.
Fortnite maker Epic Games sued Google as well as Apple for antitrust violations in 2020. Epic mostly lost the Apple antitrust lawsuit and has an appeal pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the Epic Games vs. Google trial gets under way today in federal court in San Francisco.
Epic Games alleges that Google has monopolized the Android app distribution market by engaging in side deals that have benefited the Google Play store and lessened competition in gaming. Epic Games wants the courts to for Google (and parent Alphabet) to allow alternative payment and app distribution on the Google Play store itself. In other words, Epic Games wants either a store within the store or the right to advertise that it has its own Epic Games Store from within its games on Google Play. Google has said it isn’t guilty of antitrust violations.
“Android has made phones more affordable, provided consumers with more options, and enabled developers to thrive,” said Google vice president Wilson White, in a blog post. “Epic Games has fought a global, years-long campaign to up-end this system all in the hope of getting something for nothing. They have already sued Apple and lost twice. Next week they are trying their luck with Android by bringing a case that has even less merit given the flexibility and choices Android offers.”
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Last week, Google settled a similar antitrust lawsuit filed by Match
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