The Federal court has unanimously decided that Google's Play Store is an illegal monopoly, proving to be a win for Epic Games, as reported by the Associated Press.
The report states that the jury deliberated for barely three hours before reaching a unanimous decision on Monday. The trial lasted four weeks and focused on a profitable Google Play Store payment scheme.
The Verge reports that the verdict came after the jury unanimously found that Google had monopoly power in the markets for in-app billing services and Android app distribution, that Google had engaged in anticompetitive behavior in those markets, and that Epic had suffered as a result of Google's actions.
The jury concluded that Google's distribution agreement, Project Hug agreements with game creators, and certain partnerships were anticompetitive. There was an unlawful connection between the company's Google Play app store and its Google Play Billing payment services.
After the result was announced, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney reportedly grinned broadly, clapped his attorneys, and shook hands with a Google lawyer he commended for his professional demeanor throughout the trial. "Victory over Google! in a post on X, Sweeney reportedly wrote.
Epic Games released a blog statement stating that the verdict and trial saw evidence that Google was prepared to spend billions of dollars to suppress rival app stores. This included paying developers to give up on their own stores and direct distribution strategies and providing highly lucrative deals to device manufacturers in exchange for the exclusion of rival app stores.
The blog statement further stated that Google's anticompetitive strategies worked as the Play Store distributes more than 95% of applications, cementing Google's Dominance.
Google's Loss
Wilson White, vice president of public policy and affairs at Google, stated that the firm intends to appeal the ruling and that Big Tech's intense competition with Apple and its App Store was made evident throughout the trial; the company states it remains steadfast in their commitment to consumers, partners, and the larger Android ecosystem, and that it will keep defending the Android system.
The verdict proved to be different from Epic Games' similar antitrust case against Apple, wherein the Fortnite-owner loss, as the Verge states, the Google case depended on covert revenue-sharing agreements between Google, manufacturers of smartphones, and prominent game creators; Google executives thought these agreements were meant to keep competitors' app shops under wraps.
It was evident that Google was reportedly afraid of Epic. In contrast to the Apple ruling, a jury rendered all the decisions.
Epic Games' Winnings
In his post on X, the CEO further stated that the court's work on remedies will begin in just a few weeks, saying it "will start in January." However, the specific treatments are still pending, as Judge James Donato will decide the appropriate remedies. As a result, Epic hasn't yet been informed of what it won.
It's unclear if the judge would grant Epic's requests to alert Google to the fact that every Android app developer has the freedom to design their own app stores and payment methods. It says that Epic has never filed a lawsuit seeking financial compensation. The parties will meet with Judge Donato in the second week of January to discuss potential remedies.
However, Epic's CEO stated that if Google's fee is waived, Epic stands to earn hundreds of millions or possibly billions of dollars, even though the company hasn't filed a lawsuit for damages.
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