Google (Alphabet) will pay $700 million (639.2 million euros) and Google Play will change its policies to block lawsuits against the search giant by several US states and consumers affected by the Play Store’s anti-competitive practices on Android devices.
The agreement, the terms of which were preliminary accepted in September, is still in force. final approval of the judge, This will mean that Google will allocate $630 million (575.3 million euros) into a fund for users and $70 million (63.9 million euros) into a separate fund for governments. Google has also promised to make changes to the Play Store that will help increase competition.
Google was accused of banning the use of alternative payment methods on the Play Store, which allowed it to charge higher commissions for payments. digital purchases. However, the company did not admit to any wrongdoing and merely stated that it was taking steps to offer app and game developers a greater choice of billing options.
“This agreement builds on Android’s choice and flexibility while maintaining strong security protections and preserving Google’s ability to compete,” said Google’s vice president of government affairs and public policy. Wilson White In statements reported by ‘Bloomberg’.
The terms of the agreement came after Epic GamesThe creator of ‘Fortnite’ prevailed in a similar case last week.
In this sense, a federal jury unanimously determined that Google violated antitrust rules with the practices it implemented in the Play Store, thus harming the interests of developers such as Epic Games. He filed a lawsuit against the platform in 2020 uninstall ‘your app’ after the internet giant introduced a payment system that allows players to make purchases without going to the ticket office.
In their decisions, the jury members of the High Criminal Court stated: Northern District of California (San Francisco) They reasoned that Epic Games had proven that Google had achieved and maintained monopoly power through anticompetitive practices, and that this had prejudiced the plaintiff.
In this way, it is now up to the judge handling the case. James DonatoTo identify corrective measures to reverse the situation, which will be known by the beginning of 2024.