Google Play Antitrust Lawsuit to Be Filed by U.S. States

Dozens of U.S. states are reportedly filing a Google Play Antitrust Lawsuit, targeting the fees that Google takes for in-app purchases and subscriptions from developers.


Published: July 7, 2021 5:27 PM /

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Dozens of U.S. states are preparing to file a Google Play antitrust lawsuit, alleging that Alphabet Inc. abused its position when charging fees for in-app purchases and subscriptions.

Google Play is Google's flagship service for downloading apps, games, movies, music, books, and more. It's been in operation for well over a decade and serves as an integral part of the Android operating system that allows users to download content to their devices. Now, it looks like Google may soon be facing a serious legal battle.

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What is the Google Play Antitrust Lawsuit About?

The Google Play antitrust lawsuit will focus on the alleged abuse of Alphabet Inc.'s power over app developers and content creators through the fees it charges for in-app purchases and subscriptions.

As Bloomberg Technology reports, "dozens" of U.S. states are readying to sue the company over these allegations. Additional details on the scope of the lawsuit or which U.S. states are participating in the legal action have not yet been publicly revealed. Bloomberg's reporting indicates that the lawsuit could be filed as early as Wednesday in California.

Google is currently undergoing a legal battle on another front relating to Fortnite and Epic Games. Late last summer, Epic Games debuted the "Epic Direct Payment" system on the Android and iOS versions of the game. Apple removed Fortnite from the iOS App Store and Epic Games quickly filed a lawsuit against the company. Shortly thereafter, the Google Play version of Fortnite was removed on that storefront and Epic Games filed a separate lawsuit against Google.

More details on the Google Play antitrust lawsuit will likely be revealed after it is filed. It's unclear what the consequences of such a lawsuit may be for Google, but odds are it will be years before we come to any sort of resolution unless all involved parties can come to a settlement agreement.

What do you think of the Google Play antitrust lawsuit? Do you think Google has too much control over content and pricing on Google Play? Let us know in the comments below!

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