Alexander Lewis 
Dec 12, 2023
The Epic Games logo, maker of the popular video game "Fortnite", is pictured on a screen in this picture illustration August 14, 2020. — Reuters
Fortnite, the developer behind Epic Games, has emerged victorious in an antitrust case over Alphabet's Google, which alleged the Play app store operated as an illegal monopoly.
After more than a month of trial in Epic's lawsuit passed, jurors found for Epic on all counts, a court filing showed, accusing Google of taking action to quash competitors and charge unduly high fees of up to 30% to developers.
The ruling marks a stunning defeat for Google, which alongside Apple operates one of the world's largest app stores, Reuters reported.
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The ruling holds the potential to give developers more leverage to oversee the distribution of their apps and how much they profit from them.
Google said it would appeal. "We will continue to defend the Android business model and remain deeply committed to our users, partners, and the broader Android ecosystem," Wilson White, vice president of government affairs and public policy at Google, said in an emailed statement.
Lawyers from both Epic and Google made their final arguments on Monday. The judge then handed the case over to the jury, telling them to reach a unanimous decision.
Epic, the gamemaker, accused Google of breaking the rules by forcing developers to use both its Play Store and billing service. This meant that if developers wanted their apps in the store, they had to use both services.
Although the Play Store doesn't make as much money for Google as its search business, it holds great importance, acting as the gatekeeper for billions of mobile devices.
If Google loses the case, it might have to allow more app stores on Android devices. This could lead to a loss in revenue for Google, especially from the portion it takes from in-app purchases.
"(Today's verdict) proves that Google's app store practices are illegal and they abuse their monopoly to extract exorbitant fees, stifle competition and reduce innovation," Epic said in a statement on its website.
In 2020, Epic lodged a similar antitrust case against Apple, but in September 2021, a US judge mostly sided with Apple.
In a recent hearing, Epic's lawyer mentioned that Epic intentionally broke the rules of the Play Store. They did this by bypassing the usual payment systems, allowing customers to make in-app purchases directly with Epic. Following that, Google banned "Fortnite," and filed a lawsuit in response.
