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Google Product Presentation in San Francisco (Archive)
Photo: ELIJAH NOUVELAGE / AFP
Google has to deal with another antitrust litigation in the United States.
36 states and the administrative district of Washington DC filed a competition lawsuit against the subsidiary of the Alphabet group.
Specifically, they accuse the company of enforcing a monopoly for its Play Store on Android phones with acquisitions and restrictive contracts.
In the United States, the store accounts for 90 percent of downloaded Android apps, the lawsuit said.
The allegations stem from an investigation that began in September 2019 and has already led to three other complaints against the company.
Among other things, it deals with the search engine and online advertising business.
Now states are claiming, among other things, that Google is paying developers to not support competing app stores.
There are also internal plans to persuade the smartphone manufacturer Samsung to close its own store.
Fortnite as a trigger
The South Korean company had worked with the developer Epic Games in 2018 to bring the video game "Fortnite" for Android smartphones on the market, as the lawsuit says - without the Play Store. Google responded with several "coordinated initiatives" to prevent "other developers from following Epic's example."
Google responded to the allegations on its corporate blog - and dismissed all allegations.
In contrast to Apple, where there is no alternative to the company's own app store, they have always supported competitors themselves.
"Android and Google Play offer an openness and choice that other platforms simply don't have," writes the company.
Accordingly, the lawsuit is not about small businesses or harmed consumers, but about a handful of large app developers who want "preferential treatment".
"Misleading Warnings"
The lawsuit states that Google actually enables consumers to bypass the Play Store with alternative offers.
However, "misleading warnings and obstacles" would be displayed as a deterrent.
"Google Play is not fair play," writes Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes in a statement.
The company must stop using its monopoly power and dominant market position to illegally raise billions.
The states did not rule out filing a similar lawsuit against Apple.
rai / dpa
