Tag: Google Epic

Google Rejected Play Store Fee Changes Due to Impact on Revenue, Epic Lawsuit Shows
Technology

Google Rejected Play Store Fee Changes Due to Impact on Revenue, Epic Lawsuit Shows

[ad_1] Alphabet Inc.'s Google considered changing its app store pricing model to circumvent a regulatory crackdown, but abandoned a proposal to charge a set fee per app after it became clear that could cost the company billions of dollars, according to documents released late Thursday.Google created Project Everest in 2021 to reconsider the Play Store billing model, according to the documents, which were released as part of an antitrust suit by Epic Games Inc. Google last week lost the suit brought by the maker of Fortnite when a federal jury found the tech giant abused its monopoly power over the app store. Sparked by mounting pressure from regulators and developers over Google Play's hefty 30% commission, the presentation showed the search giant was concerned about staving off what it...
Google’s Epic Legal Defeat Threatens $200 Billion App Store Industry
Technology

Google’s Epic Legal Defeat Threatens $200 Billion App Store Industry

[ad_1] Google's legal defeat at the hands of Fortnite maker Epic Games Inc. threatens to roil an app store duopoly with Apple Inc. that generates close to $200 billion a year and dictates how billions of consumers use mobile devices. The loss — handed down by a San Francisco jury on Monday — is a blow to the two companies' business model in apps, where they charge commissions of as much as 30% to software developers who typically have few other options. Epic has spent years railing against the practice and got a federal jury to agree that Alphabet Inc.'s Google unit had acted unfairly as a monopoly. The case is likely to accelerate the weakening of app store rules, which have already come under fire from regulators and lawmakers around the world.  “The dominoes are going to start fallin...
Google Play’s ‘Bribe and Block’ Tactic Hurt Rivals, Epic Says
Technology

Google Play’s ‘Bribe and Block’ Tactic Hurt Rivals, Epic Says

[ad_1] Alphabet Inc. used a “bribe and block” strategy to thwart competition against its Google Play app marketplace, hurting developers and raising prices for consumers, Epic Games Inc. said as it began its courtroom battle with the technology giant.Epic, which makes the popular Fortnite game, is looking to upend Google Play policies in an antitrust trial over whether Google has monopolized the Android app distribution and payment market. The case threatens billions of dollars in revenue generated by the store. At opening statements on Monday, Epic's attorney Gary Bornstein told jurors that Google pays off competitors, including those who want to set up their own app stores to directly deal with users, and blocks them from competing with its own marketplace and payment system. Google's...