US states filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google Play Store

36 U.S states and the District of Columbia have jointly filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google. The focus of this lawsuit is the Android app store operated by Google.

What needs to be emphasized is that this lawsuit is different from the antitrust lawsuits filed by multiple states in the United States against Google. The previous antitrust lawsuits are mainly Google search and advertising.

This lawsuit is based on the fact that many states in the United States believe that Google uses its dominant market position in the Android application store to monopolize the market, including charging high in-app purchase commissions.

“Google’s durable monopoly power in the markets for Android app distribution and in-app purchases is not based on competition on the merits,” the complaint says. “These monopolies are maintained through artificial technological and contractual conditions that Google imposes on the Android ecosystem.”

Beginning in 2019, the U.S. government departments and the U.S. Attorney General’s offices have successively filed multiple antitrust lawsuits against Google and Apple involving advertising and stores.

In this context, Apple and Google have taken countermeasures. While never admitting that there is a monopoly, they reduce the commission fees of small developers.

However, these actions are obviously too slow and therefore cannot prevent the continued prosecution of monopolistic behavior.

In addition to antitrust lawsuits in the United States, Apple and Google have also been complained in the European Union, and the European Commission is currently investigating complaints from other developers.

Via: CNBC