California, 8th October 2024: Tech giant Google has received a major blow from a U.S. court, which has ordered the company to allow rival app stores access to its Android smartphone operating system.
This ruling stems from an antitrust lawsuit filed by Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, which claimed that Google is attempting to establish a monopoly through its Android Play Store.
The California jury concluded that Google was employing various strategic methods to dominate its app marketplace on Android devices. In response, Google has appealed the court’s decision.
This ruling follows another setback for the company earlier in August, when a different judge also recognized Google’s monopolistic practices.
Moreover, Google is currently facing an antitrust case in Virginia concerning its online advertising practices. In the Epic Games case, the court has prohibited Google from engaging in anti-competitive activities for the next three years.
As part of the ruling, Google will also be required to share its revenue with competitors. Furthermore, the judge has ordered the establishment of a three-member committee to oversee the implementation of this order.
