On Monday, a jury here answered yes to each of the 11 questions put to it, including whether Google has a monopoly in how apps are distributed on Android phones, that Google broke competition laws in how it ran its app store and that the company set up special deals with some companies in order to keep them from building competing app stores of their own.
In January, the judge in the case will rule on how Google will need to change its business in order to comply with the law.
The decision represents a huge victory for Epic Games, which has fought a years-long war against Google and Apple to try and crack open the control they wield over their app stores — which dictate how billions of people find and download apps on mobile phones.
In summer 2020, Epic had revolted against Apple and Google’s payment-sharing systems for app developers. Epic tweaked its popular Fortnite app so users could pay the company directly. First Apple, then Google, booted Fortnite from their app stores for violating terms. Epic sued both companies, arguing the rules violated the Sherman Antitrust Act.
“We plan to challenge the verdict. Android and Google Play provide more choice and openness than any other major mobile platform,” Wilson White, Google vice president of government affairs and public policy, said in a statement. “We will continue to defend the Android business model and remain deeply committed to our users, partners, and the broader Android ecosystem.”
A spokesperson for Epic did not immediately return a request for comment.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
