Tech giant Google has urged a U.S. judge to refrain from imposing extensive alterations to its Alphabet unit’s app marketplace, the Play Store, as advocated by Epic Games, the creator of “Fortnite,” in their high-stakes antitrust confrontation.
In a recent submission to the San Francisco federal court, Google vehemently opposed Epic’s suggested modifications, emphasizing that such alterations would severely hamper its ability to compete effectively.
This legal skirmish traces back to last year when Epic successfully convinced a jury that Google unlawfully curtailed competition by exercising stringent control over app downloads on Android devices and imposing constraints on developers’ payments for in-app transactions.
In March, Epic petitioned U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco to compel Google to simplify app downloads from alternative sources and afford developers greater freedom in offering and pricing their products. Additionally, the North Carolina-based company insisted on the unhindered introduction of its Epic Games Store on Android.
Last December, Google consented to a $700 million settlement to resolve the states’ lawsuit and committed to implementing various reforms, including the facilitation of alternative billing options for in-app purchases.
Meanwhile, in a separate but equally significant antitrust lawsuit, Google engaged in concluding arguments with the Justice Department and a consortium of states in a Washington, D.C. courtroom. The contentious issue at hand revolves around allegations of Google’s undue dominance in the mobile web search market.