Google has been ordered to open its app store to rivals following a major lawsuit in the US.
Last year, a federal judge ruled that the tech giant had an illegal monopoly over the Android operating system and how it controlled app distribution through the Google Play Store.
Now, in the final ruling in the case, Judge James Donato has ordered Google to keep the Google Play Store open in the U.S. for three years, including allowing third-party app stores to be distributed from within Google Play. commanded. Party app stores have access to the full catalog of Google Play apps unless developers individually choose to opt-out.
Starting in November, Google will be forced to stop requiring apps on the Play Store to use its own payment system, and will also require developers to notify users about other payment methods from within the store. Allows you to link to other methods Download your app outside of Google’s app store and allow developers to set their own price for their app.
Additionally, the tech giant says it cannot offer money or incentives to developers for launching their apps on the Play Store first or exclusively, or for not launching on rival stores. It is being said.
The company is also said to be unable to offer money or benefits to device manufacturers or carriers for pre-installing the Play Store.
The relief is in response to a verdict handed down in the Epic Games v. Google case last December, in which a jury found that Google had and would maintain monopoly power in the Android app distribution market. It was determined that the company had engaged in anti-competitive conduct.
The lawsuit was filed by Epic, the maker of the popular battle royale game Fortnite, alleging that its in-app purchase fees are unfair to third-party app developers.
Epic Games recently filed a new lawsuit in the US against Google and Samsung, and Google is now threatening Android customers such as Samsung with a barrier between users and third-party app stores as a way to avoid a court ruling. He claimed that he was forcing the government to set up a Against Google.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney responded to the judge’s relief in a post about X: “The Google Play Store injunction will last for three years.
“This is because all app developers, store makers, carriers and manufacturers are working together to build a vibrant and competitive Android ecosystem with such critical mass that Google can’t stop it. This means that there is a grace period of three years.
LeeAnne Mulholland, Google’s vice president of regulation, said in a blog post that the tech giant will appeal the ruling and ask the court to suspend implementation of the remedy.
“As we have already noted, these changes will put consumer privacy and security at risk, make it harder for developers to promote their apps, and reduce competition on devices,” she said.
“Ultimately, while these changes will likely satisfy Epic, they will have a variety of unintended consequences that will harm U.S. consumers, developers, and device manufacturers.
“These changes requested by Epic come from a decision that completely contradicts another court decision that dismissed a similar claim made by Epic against Apple, even though unlike iOS, Android is an open platform. And always multiple app stores and sideloading.
“We are appealing that underlying decision and plan to ask the court to suspend Epic’s requested changes pending that appeal.”
