Fortnite’s maker Epic Games Wins Monopoly Case Against Google

The Jury declared victory in favor of Epic Games against Google in an antitrust case.

Story highlights 

• Epic Games has won the monopoly case against Google.
• Epic Games had alleged Google for violating the antitrust policies.
• The compensation for both sides will be decided next month.

On Monday, Google lost its monopoly case against Epic Games after a lengthy trial that lasted for more than a month. The chief executive of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney, tweeted on X,

Victory over Google! After 4 weeks of detailed court testimony, the California jury found against the Google Play monopoly on all counts. The Court’s work on remedies will start in January. Thanks for everyone’s support and faith! Free Fortnite! https://t.co/ITm4YBHCus

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) December 12, 2023

Epic Games filed its first lawsuit against Google in 2020, blaming the Google Play Store operations for violating California’s federal and state antitrust regulations and forcing app customers to pay using their systems while collecting significant in-app revenue. In contrast, Google has justified itself by creating a way for consumers to access centrally managed software.

The complaint also questioned Google’s charging of up to 30% transaction fees on Android app developers and how Google links its Play Store and billing service, requiring developers to use both to have their apps appear in the store. So, if the court’s decision stays, Google will have to let additional app stores onto Android-powered smartphones and lose money from in-app purchases.

However, the compensations are yet to be determined, which is the responsibility of Judge James Donato, and the two sides will meet with the judge in the second week of January 2024 to discuss it.

It’s a significant deal for Epic Games because they lost their struggle with Apple almost two years ago for the same allegations as Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that the case has nothing to do with applications.

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