Back in December, Epic Games won an antitrust lawsuit against Google. The jury found that Google illegally monopolized in-app purchases and app distribution on Android devices and engaged in anti-competitive behavior with certain game companies and device manufacturers.
At the time, it was unclear what Epic had actually won, as no relief plan had been determined.of fortnite The manufacturer has now filed a proposal for a permanent injunction against Google detailing the company’s demands. In other words, Epic wants to keep the Play Store mostly wide open.
Epic noted in a blog post that the injunction is based on three core points. First, Epic believes that Google should allow users to download apps from anywhere without getting in the way. They argue that you should be able to add apps to your Android device from the app store or the web in much the same way you do from your computer.
Epic wants Google to scare people away from downloading apps from the web (though it’s fine to let Google block malware). It also wants to prevent the company from working with carriers and phone manufacturers to limit the choices consumers have when downloading apps. Among other things, Epic wants to outlaw restrictions on pre-installed app stores. So, if the injunction is approved, he may end up having his Epic Games Store app pre-installed on his Android smartphone in the future.
Second, Epic argues that Google must allow developers and users the freedom to choose how to offer and pay for in-app purchases “without anti-competitive fees or restrictions.” . Google insists that developers should be allowed to include links from their apps to websites. That would avoid Google’s cut of in-app payments facilitated through the Play Store, which could allow it to offer discounts.
Epic began a legal battle with Google (and Apple) in 2020, pointing out the following: fortnite Mobile players claimed they could save money by purchasing the V-bucks currency directly from Epic. Under the proposed injunction, Google would be prevented from trying to block alternative payment options through compliance programs such as User Choice Billing.
The third purpose of Epic’s proposed injunction is to prevent Google from retaliating against the company (or any app or developer) for adopting its app store practices. “Google has a history of bad compliance, attempting to circumvent laws and regulations intended to exercise anti-competitive control over Android devices,” Epic wrote. “Our proposed injunction is aimed at stopping Google from repeating its past malicious tactics and opening up Android devices to competition and choice for all developers and consumers.”
The injunction includes details about Epic’s demands, including that Google decouple its products and services (such as the Android API) from the Play Store. Epic wants Google to allow third-party app stores to join the Play Store for free and access the Play Store’s app library for six years. This also means allowing third-party app stores to handle updates for Play Store apps. Epic is asking Google to appoint a compliance committee to ensure compliance with the injunction.
We may not have to wait long to find out just how many demands Epic has rubber stamped in court. Google is expected to respond to the proposal by May 2nd, and a hearing on the injunction is scheduled for May 23rd.
Google is required to make a number of similar changes in the European Union due to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. But parent companies Alphabet and Apple are already under scrutiny over concerns that they don’t allow developers the freedom to circumvent the Play Store and App Store.
Meanwhile, as a result of the DMA, Epic plans to launch an iOS and Android mobile app store in the EU later this year. It’s also still battling Apple in the US over third-party payments.
