Epic Games sues Google again: Join forces with Samsung to block competitors' app stores
Epic Games sues Google again, accusing it of collaborating with Samsung to block competitors' app stores through default settings. Epic Games filed a lawsuit in the San Francisco federal court, alleging that Google used Samsung's help to maintain market dominance and prevent users from downloading Android app stores that compete with Google Play Store and Samsung Galaxy Store. The complaint points out that Samsung's automatic blocking feature has now become the default setting, solidifying Google's monopoly position in the Android app sales field. Epic Games seeks to stop these anti-competitive practices and demands compensation
According to the financial news app Zhitong Finance, game developer Epic Games has expanded its antitrust legal battle with Alphabet (GOOGL.US)'s Google, accusing the tech giant of collaborating with Samsung Electronics to block competitors' app stores by default on mobile devices sold globally.
In a lawsuit filed on Monday in a federal court in San Francisco, Epic Games stated that Google is currently seeking to maintain its market dominance with the help of Samsung Electronics. The lawsuit points out that Samsung Electronics announced in July that all its phones will have a default setting aimed at preventing malicious software, but it will also block users from downloading Android app stores that compete with Google Play Store and Samsung Galaxy Store, including app stores launched by companies such as Epic Games and Microsoft (MSFT.US) this year.
Prior to July, Samsung Electronics' automatic blocking feature was an optional feature to prevent malicious software. Epic Games stated that it is now a default setting, making Google Play Store and Samsung Galaxy Store the only "authorized sources" for app downloads.
In the lawsuit, Epic Games stated, "The automatic blocking feature is almost certain to solidify Google's dominant position in the Android app sales market." The lawsuit also mentioned that Epic Games filed the new lawsuit to prevent Google from "denying the competition in the Android app distribution market that should have been achieved long ago."
The conflict between Epic Games and Google stems from Google's control over its Android app store. Epic Games accuses Google of illegally maintaining its monopoly by forcing the use of its payment system and restricting access to third-party app stores. In 2023, a jury ruled that Google had abused its market dominance. Epic Games is seeking to stop the alleged anti-competitive behavior and unspecified damages