TECH NEWS – The filing, led by Utah, New York, North Carolina, and Tennessee, claims that Google Play Store is in a monopolistic situation that’s why Google is sued.

It’s outstanding to see that more than two-thirds of the United States’ states have joined the lawsuit against Google. In the filing, we can read that the tech giant bought off competitors and utilised restrictive contracts to suppress competition across the Android ecosystem. The suit also argues that Google, since the acquisition of Android, has „taken steps to close the ecosystem,” and it alleges that the company has taken steps to buy off „key app developers,” as well as Samsung, just to limit competition on Android!

„Google Play is not fair play. It must stop using its monopolistic power and hyper-dominant market position to unlawfully leverage billions of added dollars from smaller companies, competitors and consumers beyond what should be paid,” Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes wrote in a statement.

Google responded to this filing in a blog post, which was shared about a week ago. In it, the company calls it „a meritless lawsuit that ignores Android’s openness.” Here’s what they added: „This lawsuit isn’t about helping the little guy or protecting consumers, it’s about boosting a handful of major app developers who want the benefits of Google Play without paying for it.”

The 37 states are calling for civil penalties, as well as a court-imposed monitor to ensure that Google is not stifling choice among consumers and developers. They are also considering pulling the same move on Apple’s App Store, which is also in a similar situation. (Which is one of the reasons why Epic Games has taken the company to court, and we have yet to hear the ruling on that lawsuit, which could be a big impact on the gaming industry, too.)

Source: Gamesindustry