Google’s Android mobile operating system powers most smartphones, and the US tech giant is working to make the Play Store the go-to place to buy games and other digital goods.
A U.S. judge on Friday ordered Google to delay releasing its Android-powered smartphones to rival app shops, meeting a Nov. 1 deadline mandated in an antitrust lawsuit brought by Fortnite maker Epic Games. It was agreed that it would be postponed.
Google is pleased with federal Judge James Donato’s decision to “temporarily halt enforcement of the dangerous remedies Epic requested,” a company spokesperson said. The appeals court said it is considering permanently blocking the order stemming from Epic’s claims that the tech giant’s Android Play Store is fraudulent. illegal monopoly.
“These remedies threaten Google Play’s ability to provide a safe and secure experience, and we look forward to continuing to advocate for them,” the spokesperson added.
In response to the ruling, an Epic Games spokesperson said in an email to AFP that Google’s appeal is “meritless” and that rather than the judge reversing the order altogether, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals He mentioned that he respected the
“The suspension…is simply a procedural step,” the spokesperson said.
Mobile phones running on the Android operating system account for about 70 percent of the global smartphone market.
Google has recently been hit with a series of legal challenges to its dominance.
In August, another judge ruled that Google’s world-leading search engine was an illegal monopoly.
Google is also facing antitrust action in a third federal case in Virginia over its online advertising monopoly.
Under Epic Games’ order, Google will be prohibited for the next three years from engaging in several practices deemed anticompetitive by the jury in the landmark case.
For example, the case found that Google made its Play App Store the only way to pay for third-party apps like Fortnite.
A significant portion of the app store’s revenue comes from video games, and Epic Games has long explored making payments for mobile games outside of Google and Apple’s app stores, which can come with fees as high as 30%.
Epic nearly lost a similar lawsuit against Apple, with U.S. judges ruling mostly in the iPhone maker’s favor.
Apple and Google regularly claim that app shop fees are industry standard and that they pay for benefits such as reach, transaction security, and malware prevention.
© 2024 AFP
quotation: Google wins after delaying launch of Android app store to rivals (October 19, 2024) From https://techxplore.com/news/2024-10-google-delay-android-app-rivals.html 2024 Retrieved October 19th
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