Googles Executives wrote Down Their Actions, Courting Legal Trouble
In a stunning courtroom victory for Epic Games, the makers of the hit game Fortnite, Google has been accused of engaging in several illegal practices related to its Android app store, the Google Play Store. At the heart of the accusations are restrictive agreements with smartphone manufacturers and other partners that were used to maintain Google's market dominance.
In an interview with CNN, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said that Google executives had written down their actions, seemingly in the knowledge that they could face legal scrutiny. The emails and other documents that emerged during the four-week trial provided evidence of Google's efforts to stifle competition and maintain its monopoly.
The jury findings were damning, finding that Google had a monopoly over the distribution of Android apps and in-app purchases, and had used illegal means to maintain its power. The decision could lead to penalties that would reshape Google's app store business in the coming years.
Google has announced plans to appeal the decision, but the judge's ruling was a clear rebuke to the company. Its arguments about providing more choice and openness on mobile platforms ring hollow in the face of the evidence presented in court.
Sweeney had a simple message for Google's plans to appeal: "Full steam ahead." He pointed out that Google's willingness to document its wrongdoing was a stark contrast to Apple's usual practice of leaving few paper trails.
During the trial, it emerged that Google had approached Riot Games, the publisher of the popular League of Legends, to convince them to abandon plans to build a rival Android app store. In exchange, Google offered Riot Games $10 million in marketing funds. These internal emails provided further evidence of Google's efforts to squash competition and maintain its dominance.
Sweeney said that a series of other internal emails supported the claim that Google saw other app stores as threats and sought contracts to prevent them from competing with Google's app market. He described the company's executives as a group of people who wrote things down, shared their ideas, and celebrated each other's successes, all with the goal of strengthening Google's position.
In contrast, Sweeney said, Apple was an company that left few papers behind, making it difficult to gain insight into its motivations when faced with similar legal challenges.
Apple has long denied that it has a monopoly over the distribution of apps on its devices, but US courts have agreed with this assessment in the past. Epic Games has appealed parts of the case to the Supreme Court.
In a statement to CNN, Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said, "Every day, millions of people in the US and around the world choose Google Play because it offers more choice, opportunity, and innovation than any other digital store." He added that the company is committed to working with policymakers and developers to continue to offer a "vibrant and open platform".
The outcome of the appeal is uncertain, but the jury's findings have shown that Google's efforts to maintain its market dominance have not gone unnoticed. If the decision stands, it could lead to significant changes to the way Google operates its app store, potentially opening up the market to more competition and innovation.
Further Reading:
Google executives wrote down illicit plans to maintain their company's dominance in the Android app store market, as evidenced by emails and documents presented during the Epic Games court case. These plans included efforts to stifle competition, prevent the installation of competing app stores, and strategically deal with partners to maintain market share. The jury ultimately found that Google violated U.S. antitrust law and was engaged in anti-competitive practices. (Source: edition.cnn.com)
