After months of quarrels in court and years after Epic first sued Google for its alleged Play Store monopoly, the jury has reached a verdict. Google was found to have an illegal monopoly, using the Play Store and its Play Billing service as a vehicle. The jury fully sided with Epic in the case, confirming the allegations put forward by the Fortnite developer. The ruling could completely upend Google’s business model around Android.
While the verdict is now out in the open, it’s still unclear what consequences there are for Google. The jury may have spoken, but it’s up to Judge James Donato to decide, who is overseeing the case. According toThe Verge, Epic didn’t sue for monetary damages and instead fought to give developers more choice, including the option for every single one of them to build an app store of their own with a billing system. The two parties will meet with the judge next week to determine further details.
Meanwhile, Epic celebrates the verdict as a “win for all app developers and consumers around the world”in a press release. “Over the course of the trial we saw evidence that Google was willing to pay billions of dollars to stifle alternative app stores by paying developers to abandon their own store efforts and direct distribution plans, and offering highly lucrative agreements with device manufacturers in exchange for excluding competing app stores.” Epic further wrote that “These deals were meant to cement Google’s dominance as the only app store in town - and it worked. More than 95% of apps are distributed through the Play Store on Android.”
Google’s VP of Government Affairs & Public Policy, Wilson White, says that the company is looking to appeal. He told us,
We plan to challenge the verdict. Android and Google Play provide more choice and openness than any other major mobile platform. The trial made clear that we compete fiercely with Apple and its App Store, as well as app stores on Android devices and gaming consoles. We will continue to defend the Android business model and remain deeply committed to our users, partners, and the broader Android ecosystem.
The case could have big implications for the future of Android. Google is using measures like the Play Store and GMS (Google Mobile Services) to keep the Android ecosystem from fracturing. Rather than having dozens of independent app stores, the Play Store model ensures that most devices can run the same software with simple centralized distribution.
In a similar earlier case against Apple, Epic wasn’t handed the same victory. The case was a little different from the get-go as it didn’t rely on a jury and because Apple’s ecosystem works fundamentally differently from Google’s. Rather than using deals and favoritism to incentivize other manufacturers and app developers to use its services and platforms, there simply isn’t another choice in the Apple world. There are no third-party phone makers that Apple could share revenue with, and there is simply no other option than the App Store for app distribution (at least in the US). In the Epic v. Apple trial, the judge decided in Apple’s favor in nine out of 10 counts, with Apple no longer allowed to stop developers from telling users about alternative billing options.
