New York,US, Oct 7 (EFE).- Technology giant Google must open up its Play store, the default app download store for Android devices, to competition, a United States judge ruled Monday.
The order is part of a lawsuit filed by video game company Epic Games, the creator of the popular online video game Fortnite, which accused Google in 2020 of anti-competitive practices, including paying hardware companies and Android phone makers to keep competing apps off their devices.
The injunction, issued by District Judge James Donato in San Francisco, forces Google to open the Play Store to competition in the United States for three years, during which time it cannot prevent users from making payments directly within the apps and must allow competing third-party app platforms or stores.
Google immediately announced that it would appeal the ruling, arguing that the Epic Games verdict “missed the obvious” which is “that Apple and Android clearly compete,” and asked for a stay on the ruling while the appeal is resolved.
Epic Games executive Tim Sweeney celebrated in a social media post that the Epic Games Store will be available on the Play Store in the United States in 2025 “without Google’s scare screens and Google’s 30% app tax,” thanks to the ruling.
“The Google Play Store injunction lasts for 3 years. This means all app developers, store makers, carriers, and manufacturers have 3 years to build a vibrant and competitive Android ecosystem with such critical mass that Google can’t stop it,” he added.
In December 2023, a jury found Google guilty of violating antitrust laws with its Play Store platform, which hurt the interests of video game developers like Epic Games as well as users. EFE
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