In December, Epic Games . The jury found it It alleged that it had an illegal monopoly on in-app billing and app distribution on Android devices and engaged in anti-competitive practices with certain game companies and device manufacturers.
It was not clear what happened at the time actually won because the means were not defined. The Fortnite The manufacturer has now submitted a proposed permanent ban detailing what it wants against Google. In short, Epic wants the Play Store to be virtually open.
The command is based on three main points. Epic mentioned in the blog post. First, Epic believes that Google should allow users to download apps from wherever they want without being blocked. It says that people should be able to add apps to their Android devices, the same way they can from a computer – from any app store or the web.
Epic wants to prevent Google from scaring people into downloading software from the Internet (although it could allow Google to block malware). It also wants to stop the company from working with carriers and phone manufacturers to limit consumers’ ability to download apps. Among other things, Epic wants restrictions on pre-installed app stores to be outlawed. So, if the order is approved, we may see Android phones pre-installed with the Epic Games Store app in the future.
Second, Epic argues that Google should allow developers and users the freedom to choose how to offer and pay for in-app purchases “without anti-competitive fees or restrictions.” He argues that Google should allow developers to include links from their apps to websites where they can offer discounts, bypassing the cutoff for in-app payments facilitated by Google’s Play Store.
Epic began 2020 by hinting at a legal battle with Google (and Apple). Fortnite Mobile players that they can Under the proposed rule, Google would be prevented from trying to block alternative payment options through compliance programs. .
A third goal of Epic’s proposed ruling is to prevent Google from responding to it (or any app or developer) for misappropriating its app store practices. “Google has a history of damaging compliance and has attempted to circumvent laws and regulations designed to impose anticompetitive controls on Android devices,” Epic wrote. “Our proposed guidance seeks to prevent Google from repeating past counterfeiting tactics and open up Android devices to competition and choice for all developers and consumers.”
There’s more information about Epic’s requirements, including Google’s separation of its own products and services (such as Android APIs) from the Play Store. For six years, Epic wants Google to grant third-party app stores free access to the Play Store and access to the Play Store’s app library. It also means allowing third-party app stores to handle updates for Play Store apps. Epic wants Google to appoint a compliance committee to ensure that it too complies with the order.
We may not have to wait long to find out how much Epic wants the court to do. Google will respond to the offer by May 2 and the court session regarding the court decision was scheduled for May 23.
Google is forced to make many similar changes in the European Union due to the bloc’s Digital Markets Act. However, parent company Alphabet and Apple They worry that they don’t allow developers to freely bypass the Play Store and App Store.
In the meantime, Epic is planning for a DMA result On iOS and Android in the EU later this year. It’s still fighting Apple third party payments in the United States.
