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Epic Games’ recent victory in its antitrust case against Google has been a significant development in the app store space and could have a major impact on the industry. Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, sued Google alleging that its Play Store app store operated as an illegal monopoly. The jury ruled in favor of Epic on all counts, marking a surprising defeat for Google, which along with Apple, operates one of the largest app stores in the world.
Epic’s lawsuit alleged that Google illegally linked its Play Store app store to its billing service, forcing developers to use both if they wanted their apps to be in the store. Additionally, Google was found to be willing to pay billions of dollars to extinguish alternative app stores, paying developers to abandon their own distribution efforts and offering lucrative deals with device makers in exchange for excluding competing app stores.
Epic Games hailed the verdict as a victory for all app developers and consumers, saying it shows that Google’s app store practices are illegal and abuse its monopoly to extract exorbitant fees, restrict competition and reduce innovation. The company hopes the ruling will lead to changes that allow each app developer to introduce independent app stores and billing systems on Android.
This ruling is especially important considering Epic Games’ previous legal battle with Apple, which ended with a less favorable outcome for Epic. The lawsuit against Apple remains ongoing, with the case now handled by the US Supreme Court after an initial victory for Apple.
However, if the end of the monopoly materializes, what prevents the emergence of stores with standards so low that bad actors can publish malicious applications? Furthermore, what prevents malicious actors from creating stores? A change as radical as allowing users to choose the store of their choice could have very serious consequences in terms of security. Don’t get me wrong, I too welcome the decision and believe it is the right one, but it is crucial that there are adequate regulations and controls. The Epic v. Google case highlights the need for legislation and regulations that address Apple and Google’s monopolies on smartphones. There is promising legislation in the pipeline, such as the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill in the UK and the Digital Markets Act in the EU. These regulations could help ensure that new app stores operate fairly and safely, protecting both developers and consumers from unfair or harmful practices.
In short, the Epic Games v. Google case represents an important milestone in the fight against app store monopolies, advocating for greater freedom and fairness for developers and consumers. However, implementing these changes will require a careful and considered approach to ensure that a safe and fair environment is maintained for everyone involved in the app ecosystem.