News: US Judge Warns Google That Major Changes Will Be Imperative for Illegal Play Store Monopoly -
U.S. District Judge James Donato has advised Google that major changes will be imposed upon its Android app store after a jury determined the Play Store operates as an illegal monopoly.
The Associated Press reports that Judge Donato suggested he may demand Google to allow alternative app stores on Android devices. It is a step that aims to reduce Google's power over the distribution of apps and its charging on its platform. This monopoly of "nearly exclusive control" generates billions annually for Google and the court's decision could disrupt this, as Google anticipating costs as high as 600 million dollars.
Google is concerned regarding the fact that opening up to open the Play Store to third-party app stores could expose users to security threats, leading to what Google calls "security disorder." Despite these worries Judge Donato emphasized that there is a need for an extensive overhaul, stating, "We are going to tear the barriers down; that is going to happen."
The case falls under a broader antitrust push against Google and another important instance involving its search engine scheduled to start in September. The judge hopes to make an order describing what changes are required for the Play Store soon, possibly in the days before Labor Day.
An article from The Verge on the same subject provides a list of Epic Games benefiting from these results as well, with an introduction to the article which reads "Judge James Donato will issue his final decision on what Google provides -- and what Epic is awarded in mere weeks."
Other Reading
About
is how gaming studios sell across the world. Since the beginning of time the company has been a payments service that you can utilize to market games and in-game items on your website, web shop or integrated directly into the game, with completely customizable and branded checkouts just for your needs. It lets you eliminate the complexity of global payments taxes, VAT and sales tax compliance, support for player payments along with other aspects of payments management. Spend less time managing your payments and compliance and more time making fantastic games!
