Epic's narrow win in App Store case toughens fight against Google Play rules

The critics view the fee as needlessly high, costing developers collectively billions of dollars a year, and a function of the two big tech companies having monopoly power

Representational image.: Shutterstock

Reuters   |   Oakland, California   |   12.09.21: Android app makers suing to stop Alphabet Inc’s Google from siphoning up to 30 per cent of their sales received little reassurance about their chances on Friday as a judge allowed a comparable fee charged by Apple Inc to stand.

Developers, including “Fortnite” maker Epic Games, in the last year took aim at the two biggest mobile app stores, run by Apple and Google. The critics view the fee as needlessly high, costing developers collectively billions of dollars a year, and a function of the two big tech companies having monopoly power.

Google’s trial is at least a year away, time both sides could use to hone arguments based on the Apple decision, legal experts said. Google’s Play store employs rules similar to the ones struck down in the Apple case.