As many as 36 US states and Washington DC have filed a lawsuit against Google, alleging that the search engine giant's control over its Android app store violates antitrust laws.
The lawsuit alleges that through a series of exclusionary contracts and other anticompetitive conduct in the Google Play Store, Google has deprived Android device users of robust competition that could lead to greater choice and innovation, as well as significantly lower prices for mobile apps.
New York Attorney General James and the coalition 바카라 co-led by the attorneys general of Utah, North Carolina, and Tennessee 바카라 also accuse Google of requiring app developers selling in-app digital content through apps purchased via Google바카라s Play Store to use Google Billing as a middleman, forcing app consumers to pay Google바카라s commission 바카라 up to 30 per cent 바카라 indefinitely.
바카라Google has served as the gatekeeper of the internet for many years, but, more recently, it has also become the gatekeeper of our digital devices 바카라 resulting in all of us paying more for the software we use every day,바카라 James alleged.
바카라Once again, we are seeing Google use its dominance to illegally quash competition and profit to the tune of billions. Through its illegal conduct, the company has ensured that hundreds of millions of Android users turn to Google, and only Google, for the millions of applications they may choose to download to their phones and tablets,바카라 she said.
바카라Worse yet, Google is squeezing the lifeblood out of millions of small businesses that are only seeking to compete. We are filing this lawsuit to end Google바카라s illegal monopoly power and finally give voice to millions of consumers and business owners,바카라 James said.
The lawsuit alleges that Google imposes technical barriers that strongly discourage or completely prevent third-party app developers from distributing apps outside the Google Play Store.
Specifically, Google builds into Android a series of misleading security warnings and other barriers that discourage users from downloading apps from any source outside Google바카라s Play Store, effectively foreclosing app developers and app stores from direct distribution to consumers, it alleges.
Google has not allowed Android to serve as an 바카라open source바카라 for many years, effectively cutting off potential competition.
Google forces OEMs that wish to design their devices to use Android to enter into agreements called 바카라Android Compatibility Commitments바카라 or ACCs. Under these 바카라take it or leave it바카라 agreements, OEMs must promise not to create or implement any variants or versions of Android that deviate from the Google-certified version of Android, the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit alleges that Google 바카라buys off바카라 its potential competition in the market for app distribution.
바카라Google forces app developers and app users alike to use Google바카라s payment processing service 바카라 Google Play Billing 바카라 to process any payments for purchases of digital content made in apps obtained through the Google Play Store,바카라 it said.
바카라Thus, Google is unlawfully tying the use of Google바카라s payment processor 바카라 which is a separate service within a separate market for payment processing within apps 바카라 to distribution through the Google Play Store. By forcing this tie, Google is able to extract an exorbitant processing fee for each transaction, as high as 30 per cent, and many times higher than payment processing fees charged in competitive markets,바카라 it alleged
