What to know about Fortnite maker Epic Games’ antitrust battle with Google, starting today
https://techcrunch.com/2023/11/06/what-to-know-about-fortnite-maker-epic-games-antitrust-battle-with-google-starting-today/
Match may have settled its antitrust lawsuit with Google last week, but Fortnite maker Epic Games is still set to go to trial with the tech giant today, November 6, in hopes of convincing a jury that Google engages in anticompetitive behavior with regard to its Android app store, Google Play, and its commission structure. This case will differ slightly from Epic’s battle with Apple on the same topic because, this time, Epic can’t allege there’s no other way to load apps onto Android devices, as it could with Apple, because Android does allow for sideloading apps. Though Epic will suggest Google makes that process cumbersome, the bulk of its arguments will center around what it believes are anticompetitive agreements between Google and device manufacturers and developers.
The precedent Epic’s case will rely on is a Microsoft case where courts found Microsoft to have a monopoly over the operating system and were abusing it, making it hard for users to download alternative browsers, like Netscape, on Windows devices.