Google Makes its Appeal to Overturn Jury Verdict Declaring Play Store as an Illegal Monopoly

Google is fighting back against a jury verdict that said its Play Store is an illegal monopoly. It appealed its case to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The tech giant is fighting the decision that can force it to make sweeping changes to its Android app ecosystem, which can include penalties.

Google vs. Epic: The Battle Continues

The case emanates from a lawsuit filed by Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, that accused Google of unfairly dominating the Android app market. Epic contends that Google’s control over the Play Store gives it the authority to charge inordinate commission fees of 15% to 30% on in-app purchases, stifling competition and inflating prices for consumers.

Google Makes its Appeal to Overturn Jury Verdict Declaring Play Store as an Illegal Monopoly
Source: Press Democrat

The jury ruled in favour of Epic and the decision may oblige Google to open up its Play Store to other players and lower the commission rate. However, Google claims the case was handled improperly and has appealed the judgment.

The Market Definition Dispute

At the heart of Google’s appeal is the argument that the trial judge improperly defined the market. Google’s lawyer, Jessica Ellsworth, argued that the case should have been decided like a previous lawsuit against Apple, where the judge ruled that Apple’s App Store was part of a broader market. She claimed Google never agreed to let the jury decide its case, while the district judge chose not to.

However, appeals judges appeared skeptical of Google’s position. Judge Danielle Forrest noted how Google’s Android environment diverges from Apple’s closed “walled garden” in that the market definitions may even be different. A separate judge, Gabriel Sanchez, said that this constant competition from Google with Apple regarding operating systems does not restrict it to being a monopoly in distributing applications.

Google Makes its Appeal to Overturn Jury Verdict Declaring Play Store as an Illegal Monopoly
Source: Yahoo

What’s at Stake for Google?

If Google is defeated, a lot is at stake. The remedies that the lower court ordered will impact Google adversely:

  1. Share Google’s Play Store library with alternative app stores.

2. Remove or cut commission fees by Play Store.

3. Increase competition in the Android ecosystem.

Google is also on trial for multiple antitrust issues; one of these issues includes the possibility of being forced to sell Chrome browser since Google dominates the search business.

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The Way Forward

It is yet to announce the timeline of the decision, but the judgment may take months. While Google wants to fight to maintain its hold on Play Store, Epic Games expects that a more open and competitive app marketplace shall do them and many others more than good.

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Usman Kashmirwala
Your thoughts are your biggest asset in this world and as a content writer, you get a chance to pen down these thoughts and make them eternal. I am Usman Kashmirwala, apart from being a movie maniac, car geek and a secret singer, I am a guy lucky enough to be working in a profession that allows me to showcase my opinions and vision to the world every day and do my little part in making it a better place for all of us.