Google loses antitrust lawsuit regarding Android app store brought by creator of Fortnite

A federal court jury found anticompetitive hurdles in Google's Android app store that hurt smartphone users and software developers, downing a technological giant.

The unanimous ruling on Monday followed a four-week trial against Google's Play Store's lucrative payment mechanism and three hours of deliberation. The store is where hundreds of millions of users worldwide download and install Android apps.

Fortnite developer Epic Games sued Google three years ago, arguing that the internet search giant was shielding its Play Store from competition to protect a billion-dollar gold mine. Google takes 15%–30% of app digital transactions, like Apple does for its iPhone app store.

Apple won a similar Epic case against the iPhone app store. For that 2021 trial, a federal court made a finding that is now on appeal to the Supreme Court.

The nine-person Play store jury saw things differently, even though Google enables Android apps to be downloaded from multiple shops, which Apple prohibits on the iPhone.

Google requested to avoid a jury before the Play store trial, but U.S. District Judge James Donato denied it. Donato must decide how Google should fix its Play Store illegality. The judge agreed to convene hearings in the second week of January.

Google vice president of government affairs and public policy Wilson White said the corporation will appeal the ruling.

White said: “Android and Google Play provide more choice and openness than any other major mobile platform.”

Depending on how the judge enforces the jury's verdict, Google could lose billions in Play Store commissions. Our main source of revenue—digital advertising related to our search engine, Gmail, and other services—will not be harmed by the study.