Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, files a lawsuit against Google

The creator of the widely popular video game Fortnite, Epic Games, has initiated a legal battle against Google in a San Francisco court. Epic Games accuses Google of behaving like a monopoly by charging a 30% commission on in-app purchases made through the Google Play store. Furthermore, Epic Games alleges that Google has disregarded its own motto of "Don't be Evil," which was established when the company was founded in 1998. In response, Google argues that there are various alternative methods to download apps on Android phones, thereby refuting the claim of monopolistic behavior. Google has consistently asserted that it competes with Apple and rejects the notion that Google Play holds a monopoly. This trial marks another front for Google to defend itself against antitrust allegations, as the company is concurrently facing legal proceedings in Washington, where the US justice department has accused Google of unlawfully monopolizing search. It is worth noting that Epic Games followed a similar course of action against Apple in 2021. In 2020, Epic Games removed Fortnite from both Google Play and the App Store, citing the fees imposed on developers as "taxes." In that case, the judge ruled against Apple's classification as a monopoly but permitted apps to guide users away from in-app charges imposed by Apple. Epic Games argues that Google has imposed numerous contractual and technical obstacles, thereby removing competition in the distribution of Android apps. However, Google counters this argument by claiming that there is greater competition in app distribution on Android compared to any other operating system. The company states that Android is the only major mobile platform that offers developers multiple avenues to distribute their apps.