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Epic Files New Complaint In Google Suit

By  |  July 22, 2021

Epic has renewed its fight against mobile platforms’ app store restrictions, filing an update to its antitrust case against Google. The filing adds mostly redacted details about Google’s alleged monopolistic behavior on Android, including banning Epic’s game Fortnite from the Google Play Store last year. The amended complaint comes soon after a judge officially linked the case with a recent multi-state lawsuit, which took aim at Google’s Play Store policies.

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    Epic’s complaint builds on information gleaned from government antitrust probes and documents produced since the original suit. One addition, for instance, includes details revealed last year about “the close relationship that Google maintains with Apple,” including an agreement to pay between $8 and $12 billion to be Apple’s default search provider.

    It also includes new information about Google’s supposed anti-competitive conduct, including its deals with phone makers and alternate app stores. Most of this information, however, has been sealed — leaving only hints about the claims that the case could hinge on.

    Google denied the claims in a statement to The Verge. “The open Android ecosystem lets developers distribute apps through multiple app stores. For game developers who choose to use the Play Store, we have consistent policies that are fair to developers and keep the store safe for users. While Fortnite remains available on Android, we can no longer make it available on Play because it violates our policies. We will continue to defend ourselves against these meritless claims,” said spokesperson José Castañeda.

    Among the new redacted information, Epic apparently describes its plans to launch Fortnite on the Samsung Galaxy Store. “Google was determined not to let this happen,” the complaint says, so it offered Epic a “special deal” to launch on Google Play. When Epic rejected the deal, Google allegedly took other anti-competitive action, but the details of that action aren’t available

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