Google was ordered by a United States federal judge on Monday to permit rival technology companies’ android apps onto its Play App store for three years, which begins next month.
The ruling stems from an antitrust lawsuit brought before Judge James Donato by Epic Games, producer of the popular online mobile game Fortnite. Antitrust laws are meant to maintain a balance of economic power and preempt monopolies and price collusion. This is the second case the game developer has put forth versus Google.
Google stated that it will file an appeal against the ruling and request to halt the court’s countermeasures.
“The changes would put consumers’ privacy and security at risk, make it harder for developers to promote their apps, and reduce competition on devices,” Google asserted.
Epic Games claimed in the first case that Google had taken hold of the distribution of apps and payments on android devices, effectively smothering competition. Epic had won over the jury.
A number of legal experts felt the ruling was a crucial move in opposition to technology giants’ market dominance. Another of its stipulations requires Google to grant other app stores use of its apps.
“That isn't something antitrust law would normally require. But the judge correctly noted that once you have violated the antitrust laws, courts can order you to do affirmative things to undo the harm you caused, even though you didn't have the obligation to do those things in the first place,” Stanford Law School professor Mark Lemley stated.
Google argued its app store does have competitors, one being Apple’s. Apple has also faced an antitrust case lodged by Epic; it was ruled however, that Apple does not have a mobile game monopoly.
The order is just one in a series of legal raps set against Google recently. In August, the US Department of Justice had alleged the company had a monopoly over online search, and in September, the tech giant was accused of dominating the advertising tech market.
Critics have pointed out that Google was able to impose a 30% fee for all app store payments due to its monopoly.
Lee Hepner, Senior Legal Counsel at the American Economic Liberties Project said the ruling is expected to change that.
“There's going to be a lot more incentive for developers to enter this market, and prices should be lower for consumers,” he said.
