Epic Games has apparently sued Google in the Federal Court of Australia; the lawsuit is similar to that against Apple filed by Epic Games.
Epic accuses Google of abusing its control of the Android operating system in violation of Australian Consumer Law and multiple provisions of the 2010 Competition and Consumer Act (Cth). Epic mentioned that Google makes it extremely difficult for Android users to install applications that do not fall under the ecosystem of Google.
In the statement of the lawsuit, Epic Games mentions that Google’s anti-competitive behavior inadvertently violates the Australian Consumer Law. The company further mentions that leveraging the control Google has over the Android operating system, the company managed to limit competition in payment processing and application distribution on the Google Play Store. This harmful behavior stifles innovation, reduces consumer choice, and drives up prices.
Developers who have obtained the apps through the Google Play Store are forced to use Google’s in-app payment service which charges a 30% commission. Moreover, Epic Games also claims that the tech giant has also made it difficult to download apps directly to Android devices. This forces most users to download and install their apps through the Google Play Store.
In Australia, nearly half of the approximately 20 million smartphones in the country run Google’s Android operating system, and 90% of the applications on Android phones are usually obtained through the Google Play Store.
This lawsuit against Google is up when the company has also started legal proceedings in the US and the UK on the basis of antitrust complaints made against App in the European Union. It should be mentioned that Epic Games is not asking for monetary compensation from either Google or Apple, but rather is seeking fair access and competition, citing the benefit of both consumers and developers.
In addition to Epic’s claims against Apple and Google in Australia, the company has also participated in the review of the mobile application market by the Australian competition regulator.
