Attorneys general from 36 states have filed a lawsuit against Google, accusing the company of antitrust behavior through its dealings with Android dev
Attorneys general from 36 states have filed a lawsuit against Google, accusing the company of antitrust behavior through its dealings with Android devices and its own Google Play Store. A lawsuit filed by the group this week (readable here via The Washington Post) argues that, despite its promises to keep Android an open platform, Google has created a monopoly for Android app distribution and payment processing on Android. It’s yet another lawsuit that takes issue with the fees mobile platform holders charge developers, an issue that other lawsuits like Epic’s highly visible battle with Apple or recent fee structure changes on both Google and Apple app stores have dragged even further into the spotlight this year. “Google has taken steps to close the ecosystem from competition and insert itself as the middleman between app developers and consumers,” reads the lawsuit. It goes on to argue that Google collects an “extravagant commission” of 30 percent from all Google Play Store purchases and that the company employs “anticompetitive tactics to diminish and disincentivize completion in Android app distribution.” “Google has not only targeted potentially competing app stores, but also ensured that app developers themselves have no reasonable choice but to distribute apps through the Google Play Store,” continues the lawsuit. Unlike Apple and iOS, Google allows other app stores to launch on the platform, but as both this lawsuit and earlier accusations from Epic Games argue, those third-party app stores face an uphill battle on the platform thanks to Google-added barriers that discourage consumers from stepping outside of the Google Play Store.
