2021 starts with the end of 2020 for Google… Loud Information collected from ReutersThe attorneys general of Utah, North Carolina and New York are preparing the indictment against Mountain View. Other states could join the complaint, which is expected to be filed between February and March. It will mainly focus on the Google Play Store.
In fact, the application store has been criticized for receiving a 30% commission on in-app purchases, like Apple, whose app store is also being targeted by the authorities. In addition, Google is accused of having abused a dominant position with its business, the platform installed by default on hundreds of millions of smartphones worldwide. The service is therefore used much more frequently than that of competitors such as Amazon, Samsung or Huawei.
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According to Sameer Samat, vice president of Android and Google Play, these allegations are unfounded: “ Most Android devices come pre-installed with at least two app stores, and consumers can install additional app stores. This openness means that even if a developer and Google do not agree on the commercial terms, the developer can distribute on the Android platform. “, He assures.
This will be the fourth complaint against Mountain View in just a few months in the United States. She is therefore facing a lawsuit against the Justice Department for the overwhelming monopoly exercised by the search, but is also faced with two other charges brought by the Attorneys General of several states, specifically relating to its abuses of dominance to increase its activities and Advertising revenue. All of these lawsuits follow the historic GAFA hearing organized by the US Congress this summer. The next indictment against Google may come as a surprise, however, as its business is viewed as less stringent than Apple’s, which doesn’t offer an alternative pre-installed on its iPhone.
As a reminder, the publisher of Fortnite, Epic Games, has sued the two giants to convict the 30% tax they put on in-app purchases.