Epic Games and Match Group intend to broaden their legal action against Google. The two firms are now accusing Google of paying off developers in order to stop them from creating contending Android app stores. The motion was submitted to the federal court in the Northern District of California on Friday, Oct. 7.
Epic Games, Match to Push Antitrust Claims
TechCrunch emphasizes that if the allegation holds, these claims will constitute a clear violation of the Sherman Act, a U.S. antitrust statute.
The aforementioned companies have been engaged in mudslinging and legal sparring for some time. Many significant dates and developments relate to the conflict between Match Group, Epic Games, and Google. Here are some of the key events:
March, August 2018
The iOS version of Fortnite was released on March 12, 2018. On August 9, 2018, Fortnite for Android Beta was released to Samsung mobile device owners. According to The Verge, Epic Games took the unusual step of releasing Fortnite for Android outside the Google Play Store when it first launched.
This move by Epic Games spared the company from Google Play's 30 percent cut, and players downloaded the game straight from the Epic Games website as an installer.
April 2020
The Fortnite company eventually backed down to Google and added the online first-person shooter to the Play store in mid-2020. According to the BBC, Epic Games had no choice but to reluctantly agree at the time because there was no other convenient way for users to install the software.
August 2020
According to Business Insider, Google removed the game after Epic added a feature that allowed players to skirt around Google's fee when making in-app purchases. This incident sparked the current round of lawsuits.
October 2020
As per Match Group data, the the Department of Justice and 11 state Attorneys General filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Google for illegally maintaining monopolies in the search and search advertising markets through anti-competitive and exclusionary practices.
April 2021
A slew of companies, including Epic Games, Match Group, and Tile, has joined Spotify in an effort to put pressure on Apple and Google to change their App Store policies. Margrethe Vestager, the EU's competition commissioner, stated that Apple had obtained a gatekeeper role in the distribution of apps and content on its devices.
Legal Scuffle Continues
October 2021
A court order made some of the unredacted documents in the Epic v. Google lawsuit public, revealing anti-competitive actions taken by Google to limit the "contagion of competitors" and keep the popular Play Store thriving.
May 2022
While Match Group and Google fight it out in court, a temporary agreement has been put in place. This agreement will allow Tinder, Hinge, and other Match Group-owned apps to continue to be available on Google Play while using their own in-app payment systems. Match Group announced that it had obtained concessions from Google in the ongoing antitrust litigation.
Today
According to recent reports, Google will oppose the motion filed by the two companies. The search engine giant claims that the allegations made are false and that they are looking forward to settling the matter in court.
Google also clarified that the program to which Epic and Match referred provided incentives for developers to provide benefits and early access to Google Play users when new or updated content is released.
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