Judge orders Google to calculate the costs of opening the Epic Games app store on Google Play

https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/24/24164454/epic-google-catalog-access-library-porting

Judge Doesn’t Buy Google’s Epic ‘Scary World of Chaos’ Thesis – The Verg
https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/24/24163907/google-epic-world-of-chaos-antitrust-monopoly-case

Epic Games, creator of the wildly popular Battle Royale game Fortnite and the Unreal Engine game engine, is is suing Apple and Google, which running smartphone application stores for violating antitrust regulations.

Epic Games sued Google for monopolizing the market of Google Play, the Android app store, Google’s operating system for smartphones. The California court that heard the case ruled in favor of Epic Games, stating that “Google has created an anticompetitive market through its app store.”

California court rules in favor of Epic Games in antitrust lawsuit against Google – GIGAZINE

Epic Games, which won the lawsuit, prepared a 16-page document presenting its demands to Google in April 2024. In the document, Epic Games demands that Google “block almost all potentially unfair practices”, “introduce an app store and third-party billing system”, and “actively, immediately and collectively push us towards equality with Google Play and its billing system” and hopes the court will approve it.

Epic Games has been pushing for a third-party app store to open on Google Play, but there was significant skepticism that it would even happen.

However, after a hearing on May 24, 2024, it was revealed that Judge James Donato ordered Google to “calculate how much it will cost to comply with Epic Games’ request.” Details of the order state that “Google must submit to the court by June 24, 2024, a detailed description of the technical work and economic costs necessary to provide “directory access” and “library portability” to competing app stores for a maximum of six years.” Additionally, it appears that the document may also cover “the technical work and economic costs of distributing a third-party app store through Google Play.”

Court documents show that Epic Games will have the opportunity to question and contradict Google experts and engineers regarding materials prepared by Google before the final hearing on August 14, 2024.

At the hearing, Judge Donato also noted that the demands proposed by Epic Games were “too vague.” On the other hand, he said about Google: “Let’s be clear: Google, an illegal monopoly, will have to pay some fines. This case concerns competitive opportunities in general. It’s not about relieving only Epic Games, but about equalizing opportunities and removing barriers,” emphasizing that actions are needed to ban Google’s monopoly.

In response, Google stated: “If Epic Games’ demands were accepted, the app store market would fall into a terrible state of chaos.” However, Judge Donato expressed skepticism, stating: “I am definitely not convinced by Google’s opinion.”