On August 15, according to Reuters, the latest progress came from the San Francisco District Court in the US. Judge James Donato announced that he plans to issue a ruling order against Alphabet's Google company, aiming to push Google to provide more ways for Android users to download applications, and clearly stated that he will not deeply intervene in the company's daily operations. This decision was made after the victory of Fortnite maker Epic Games last year.
Donato showed impatience with Google's protest about the cost and difficulty of implementing Epic's multiple proposals and hinted that he will issue a ruling to maximize the flexibility for users and developers to download and distribute applications outside the Play Store. He emphasized: As an identified monopoly entity, the cost of restoring market order is inevitable.
Donato said his injunction will be three pages long and will ensure that Google understands the rules. He will make a ruling in the next few weeks and establish a three-person compliance and technical committee to implement and monitor the injunction.
Both Google and Epic refused to comment on this hearing.
The core of Epic Games' lawsuit is to指控 that Google constitutes a monopoly in the field of Android application distribution and in-app transaction payment. The company successfully convinced the jury that Google illegally hindered market competition by controlling the application distribution channels and payment methods. Epic accordingly requested the court to force Google to allow Android users to more easily download applications from third-party app stores (including its own store) and other online channels, and hoped that the court would prohibit Google from automatically installing the Play Store on Android devices.
Google, on the other hand, firmly denies harming competition and points out that the implementation of Epic's proposals is extremely difficult and may pose a threat to user privacy and security. Its legal advisor, Glenn Pomerantz, told Donato on Wednesday that forcing Google to distribute competitor app stores will not promote competition but may instead exacerbate market chaos.
And in Washington, DC, Google is also facing another antitrust lawsuit from the government level, which focuses on its monopoly position in the search engine business. Last week, another US district judge, Amit Mehta, has sided with the Justice Department, finding that Google constitutes an illegal monopoly in the field of web search, and plans to hold a hearing on September 6 to discuss the specific timetable for implementing remedial measures against Google. Google denies this accusation.