Judge in Epic v. Google case: "Will break down the barriers"
The verdict in the legal dispute between Epic and Google is imminent. The judge has already held out the prospect that the Play Store barriers will fall.
The Play Store for Android is to be opened - a US court will soon decide how exactly.
(Image: Shutterstock/Koshiro K)
The judge in charge of the legal dispute between Google and Epic Games, James Donato, has promised an end to the Play Store barriers under Android. "We will definitely tear down the barriers," said Donato at the last meeting before the ruling, according to the US technology magazine The Verge. "It's just a question of exactly how we do that."
"Today's world is the result of monopolistic behavior. This world is changing," The Verge quotes the judge as saying. Epic accuses Google of using illegal monopoly practices to suppress alternative app stores for Android. Last December, a jury ruled in favor of Epic on all counts.
However, it remains unclear how Google's monopoly practices are to be prevented in the future. The decision on this is up to the judge, who will announce his decision in two weeks, according to The Verge. According to the US technology magazine, Google and Epic agreed at the last court hearing that it is feasible in principle to open up the Play Store. However, there is reportedly still disagreement over the exact procedure and the associated costs.
Text messages deleted
In the court proceedings, Epic Games is accusing Google of forcing its own payment system on the Play Store, among other things. Google demands up to 30 percent of the revenue from apps downloaded from the Play Store. Google also deleted text messages, for example, to conceal its anti-competitive practices.
Developers such as Tinder company Match and Spotify had made similar complaints until Google reached an out-of-court settlement with them. Epic Games resisted such agreements and pursued its agenda in court. The company is also involved in a similar legal dispute with Apple. Epic accuses the iPhone manufacturer of violating competition law in the same way as Google.
(dahe)
