After a three-year legal battle, a California jury has ruled that Google violated antitrust laws by removing Fortnite maker Epic Games and other publishers from its app store.
Epic’s founder and CEO, Tim Sweeney, expressed jubilation on X, stating, “Victory over Google! After 4 weeks of detailed court testimony, the California jury found against the Google Play monopoly on all counts. Thanks for everyone’s support and faith! Free Fortnite!” The jury found in favour of Epic on all 11 claims.
Judge James Donato of the US District Court in Northern California is set to consider remedies in January. The legal dispute began in August 2020 when both Google and Apple barred Epic Games from their app stores, preventing Fortnite downloads.
Apple accused Epic of enabling an unapproved payment feature with the intent of violating App Store guidelines. In response, Epic filed a lawsuit citing “anti-competitive restraints and monopolistic practices.”
The central issue revolves around the 30% revenue share that Apple and Google take from app store downloads. Epic attempted to circumvent this by allowing users to pay directly through its apps.
The complaint highlights the pervasive anti-competitive consequences of Apple’s conduct, emphasising the integral role mobile devices and apps play in people’s daily lives.
Apple, in its statement, noted its decade-long association with Epic in the App Store and expressed willingness to work with Epic to resolve the violations and restore Fortnite to the App Store.