In 2020, Epic Games sued Google, claiming that the Android Play Store constituted a illegal monopoly and today one jury voted (not unanimously) in its favor, thus sanctioning a very heavy defeat for Google. This is a historic victory for Epic Games, especially because Epic itself lost a similar battle against Apple two years ago (in that case through the mouth of a judgeand not of a jury, but we will not now delve into the intricacies of the American judicial system).
The Epic vs. Google case has revealed a lot of background over time, with “backroom” deals between Google and some Android smartphone manufacturers or developers likely factoring into the jury’s monopoly ruling.
Attention: Epic won, but we don’t know at the moment what he won. Both sides will meet with Judge James Donato the second week of January to discuss potential settlements.
Meanwhile Epic has already proclaimed its a “win for all developers”, and Google has already confirmed its intention appeal the verdict. It is clear, however, that a definitive defeat could cost the Mountain View company very dearly, given that Google currently retains 30% of commissions for the largest developers. We will certainly know more in the new year, and it is certainly a process that we will keep an eye on, because its outcome could lead to big changes for the Android landscape.
