SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal court jury has ruled that Google's Android app store was protected by anticompetitive barriers that harmed smartphone users and software developers and dealt a blow to a key pillar of a tech empire.
The unanimous verdict, handed down on Monday, came after just three hours of deliberations following a four-week trial surrounding a lucrative payment system in Google's Play Store. The store is the main place where hundreds of millions of people around the world download and install apps that work on smartphones running Google's Android software.
Epic Games, maker of the popular video game Fortnite, filed a lawsuit against Google three years ago, alleging that the internet giant abused its power to shield its Play Store from competition in order to protect a goldmine worth billions Dollars generated annually. Just like Apple does for its iPhone app store, Google collects a commission of between 15 and 30% for digital transactions completed within apps.
Apple prevailed in a similar case brought by Epic against the iPhone App Store, but the 2021 lawsuit was decided by a federal judge in a ruling that is being appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
But the nine-member jury in the Play Store case apparently saw the matter from a different perspective, even though Google technically allows Android apps to be downloaded from various stores – an option that Apple prohibits on the iPhone.
Just before the Play Store trial began, Google wanted to avoid having a jury decide the outcome, but its request was denied by U.S. District Judge James Donato. Now it's up to Donato to determine what steps Google needs to take to stop its illegal behavior on the Play Store. The judge indicated that he would hold hearings on the issue in the second week of January.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney grinned broadly after the verdict was read, patted his lawyers on the back and also shook hands with a Google lawyer, whom he thanked for his professional demeanor during the trial.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the outcome of the trial.