Tuesday, December 12th 2023
Epic Wins Store Spat Against Google, Jury Holds Google Play Guilty of Monopolistic Practices
Epic Games won a pivotal anti-trust dispute against industry giant Google, with a Jury holding Google Play and its billing service guilty of running an illegal monopoly for the sale of software and digital assets. Epic had sued both Google and Apple of running restrictive, walled-garden marketplaces on their mobile platforms, which forced people to buy, subscribe, or pay for its products only through their marketplaces, namely Google Play and the App Store, after gouging huge revenue shares. Epic had sought to release its own marketplace, the Epic Games Store, on these platforms, so it could sell its wares just the way it does on the PC. With this favorable verdict, Epic stands to save "hundreds of millions or even billions of Dollars" in fees to Google. Meanwhile, Google stated that it is preparing to appeal in a higher court, on the basis that the Play Store isn't the only software/content marketplace, and that it is competing with Apple's App Store (although not on the same devices).
Source:
The Verge
71 Comments on Epic Wins Store Spat Against Google, Jury Holds Google Play Guilty of Monopolistic Practices
Sounds like that's not really competition :p
One of them will be overturned on appeal google or apple
Apple I hope.
Guess there was no conspiracy on apple's side.
The power of Big Tech needs to erode ASAP and this is part of it. Progress.
Epic's position vs other distribution methods is one of market penetration. It cannot afford to overprice its products; it must ensure that it is competitive against other stores. This is one method of ensuring that - increase cash flow from its in-house IP (give less to middlemen) and use that to support storefront costs.
:fear:
I acquired Civ 6 for free
Note also that the EU is also still looking at similar cases, this story isn't over, far from it.
So google is monopolistic for paying incentives (aka bribes) so other companies don't develop their own app stores - but you still can install whatever the fuck you want with a simple option clearly accessible - whereas with apple you can't install shit, even if you're a developer you need to pay for the privilege and renew the few installs you can do at the same time every 2 weeks. No ifs or buts!
This shit is ridiculous.Apple was first and they won the most relevant parts!It was the same thing with extras, because Apple banned epic from the appstore all together.
Wikipedia has the details, and what struck me is this one:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_Games_v._Apple
Legal review of the cases identify the key issue is whether Apple's control of the iOS App Store is a monopoly or not. Epic Games has argued that Apple maintains a monopoly for iOS-enabled devices, and thus its behavior in restricting alternative payment systems and storefronts are anticompetitive. Apple contends that the marketplace that Epic participates in is multiple platforms, not just the iOS, and in that perspective, Apple does not have a monopoly.[13][14]
Now, let's consider that, in light of what happened in the Google case. If the judge had let Google win... what would be the effect? Effectively, Sweeney would still be bound to a 30% revenue cut and would even have to allow that to extend to in app purchases (one of the focus points in these cases is the ability to offer your own payment service within apps). Effectively, then, Apple and Google would be able to determine between themselves that 30% is the new norm. That's not a healthy market right there. That's a cartel.
There are no longer any ways out of this if you ask me. If the rules count for Google, they also do count for Apple, and when taken together, its the only possible outcome or you can't possibly defend that we have a system that tries to preserve healthy market conditions.
It just takes a bit long to figure that out, but this will happen, because now Google is facing unfair competitive position versus Apple ;)
captain obvious has spoken, ig.
Google got caught fixing the game with backroom deals stopping competing attempts
Apple hasn't stopped anyone from opening a alternative store "doubt it's worth it" google did "much larger user base" , there's your difference in judgements.
I argue that the government should not have allowed that acquisition of YouTube and DoubleClick. Or at least have put a lot of scrutiny into these acquisitions. Google's monopoly of their application store is merely monkey-see-monkey-do copying of Apple's infinite revenue stream. Allowing Apple to get away with it but not Google will be disastrous. But unfortunately, I suspect future appeals will let both get away with it.
I'm just giving my take of what's been done so far and how that might evolve.
I can follow why Google was ruled against, and I agree with it. What I can not understand is how Apple did not lose based on this--
Apple contends that the marketplace that Epic participates in is multiple platforms, not just the iOS, and in that perspective, Apple does not have a monopoly.
Regardless of what other platforms Epic participates, it still is not changing the fact that I can only buy Fortnite skins exclusively from the App Store.... which was the whole point of the lawsuit. I feel like I must be wrong in my initial understanding of the case, otherwise Google would not have lost here.
----also-- I do not buy Fortnite skins, I just needed an example to get through all of the legal talk. :laugh:
Think this thread is the better
www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/egs-official-statement-epic-vs-google-trial-verdict-a-win-for-all-developers.316618/#post-5156585