A US federal judge has ruled that Alphabet will have to open up its operating system, Android, so other companies can create their own app stores and payment systems to compete with the Google Play Store.

The triumphant event was launched in 2020 by Epic Games, the creator of the game fortnite. According to the company's claim, Google is abusing its market power and behaving in a monopolistic manner by restricting access to competitors and charging excessive fees in the App Store, about 30%.

The court order, issued by Judge James Donato of the federal court in San Francisco, bars Google from paying developers to launch apps exclusively in its store, and also prohibits major tech companies from forcing customers to use only its billing system.

Donato had already ruled last December that Google was violating antitrust laws; Now the judge decided the remedies against the monopoly action.

The decision, which takes effect on November 1 and will be in effect for three years, also prevents Google from entering into agreements with mobile phone manufacturers so that devices leave the factory with the Play Store already installed.

It is another defeat for Google in US courts in antitrust cases. Last August, the company lost a lawsuit filed by the Ministry of Justice accusing it of this practice Monopoly of the search engine market. Treatments will be published today.

According to Epic, Google has provided money to phone operators like AT&T and T-Mobile, as well as developers like Activision Blizzard, to discourage them from launching their own app stores.

Evidence presented in the lawsuit shows that Google earned US$12 billion from the Play Store in 2021.

Shares of Alphabet, Google's parent company, fell more than 2% yesterday after the decision was announced. Today they are sideways.

Google said it would appeal. In his defense, he said that Android competes directly with Apple's operating system and app store. He also said that the court's decision may affect the privacy of its customers' data.

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney celebrated the decision and said that from now on developers will have three years to “build a vibrant and competitive ecosystem” for Android.

The court's decision applies to the United States only. Epic is expected to open similar lawsuits in other markets.

Part of generating income fortnite This is done by selling customization of game characters.

Google and Apple charge between 15% and 30% of apps, subscriptions and games sold in their stores.

According to Google, 99% of developers qualify for a fee of 15% or less.

According to CNBC, consulting firm Sensor Tower estimates that consumers will spend US$124 billion in these stores in 2023. In the first quarter of this year, the value reached nearly US$36 billion, an increase of 9.5% compared to the same period. From last year.

Epic was defeated in a similar lawsuit against Apple. But the judge allowed the game developer to provide its customers with alternatives to making purchases outside of Apple's App Store.

Giuliano Guandalini