Epic Games has recently filed a challenge against Google in an Indian tribunal for non-compliance with some parts of an antitrust directive, Reuters reports.
Epic Games, the gaming company behind "Fortnite," claims that Google has not hosted its app store on the Play Store app, leading to adverse effects on its business. Epic's allegations are the latest legal issues to impact Alphabet Inc's Indian unit.
"We are seeking to join Indian developers in court to support the CCI's order that requires Google to allow competing third-party app stores," Bakari Middleton, Director of Global Public Policy at Epic Games, told Reuters.
Google vs. Epic Games
In January, Google lost a court case against the Competition Commission of India (CCI). This caused the tech giant to announce changes to how it does business with Android.
Tech Times reported last month that the Indian Supreme Court did not overturn the CCI decision to fine Google for anticompetitive practices. The court did, however, extend CCI's order by one week.
In its most recent filing with a New Delhi appeals panel, Epic Games claimed that Google violated a provision of the CCI mandate. The directive says that Google must host third-party app stores on the Play Store app and let programs be downloaded for free without using the Play Store. This process is commonly called "sideloading."
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Epic Games operates its own app store, the Epic Games Store, which offers games and other apps for download.
For some time, the gaming company has accused Google of paying off developers to prevent them from building competing Android app stores. You can find the complete timeline in this article.
The company claims that it is "exploring launching" the Games Store app on the Google Play Store and has been negatively affected by Google's non-compliance with the CCI order. Epic Games is known for its campaigns against both Apple and Google for charging high app store commissions.
Google Responds to Antitrust Claims
In response to the filings, Google gave the CCI a "compliance plan" and continues to follow the law in India with respect.
Epic Games' legal challenges follow previous legal battles between the gaming company and other tech juggernauts. In 2020, Epic Games began a campaign against Apple and Google for their high app store commissions.
Epic Games tried to avoid paying app store fees by making its own app store. This move caused Apple and Google to take Fortnite off their app stores.
The legal disputes in India also highlight the growing global scrutiny of the authority and policies of internet behemoths like Google and Apple. In the United States, lawmakers and government officials are paying more attention to what these companies do, especially when it comes to antitrust and competition.
In a recent report, the Japan Fair Trade Commission (FTC) suggested that how Apple and Google handle mobile apps may be against Japanese antitrust laws. The FTC told Apple and Google that users should be able to choose other ways to pay for things instead of being forced to use their services.
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