Google Sued By 36 States, DC Over Alleged Antitrust Violations
Google Sued By 36 States, DC Over Alleged Antitrust Violations
BY TYLER DURDEN THURSDAY, JUL 08, 2021 - 02:39 PM Authored by Isabel van Brugen via The Epoch Times,
Google on
Wednesday was hit by a lawsuit from a group of state attorneys over alleged
violation of antitrust laws by its Android app store.
Attorneys general for 36 states and the District of Columbia
sued the Big Tech company in a 144-page complaint filed in a Northern
California federal court. The group alleges that Google’s Play store for
Android apps violates antitrust laws.
The
complaint centers on the control Google is able to exert on its Play store, allowing
it to collect commissions of up to 30 percent on digital transactions within
apps installed on Android-powered smartphones. Those devices represent more than 80
percent of the worldwide smartphone market.
Led by Utah, North Carolina, Tennessee, New York, Arizona,
Colorado, Iowa, and Nebraska, it marks the fourth major antitrust lawsuit filed
by U.S. government agencies against the company since October 2020.
Other
lawsuits filed against Google include a complaint filed by a bipartisan
coalition of states, and one filed by the Department of Justice. It echoes
allegations made against the company by mobile game maker Epic Games in August
2020. That case is awaiting trial.
The complaint contends that Google has deployed various tactics
and set up anticompetitive barriers to ensure it distributes more than 90
percent of the apps on Android devices—a market share that the attorneys
general argue represents an illegal monopoly. It also alleges Google has been
abusing that power to reap billions of dollars in profit at the expense of
consumers, who wind up paying higher prices to subsidize the commissions, and
the makers of apps who have less money and incentive to innovate.
“Google must be held accountable for harming small businesses
and consumers,” Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes said in a statement.
“It must stop using its monopolistic power and hyper-dominant
market position to unlawfully leverage billions of added dollars from smaller
companies, competitors, and consumers beyond what should be paid.”
Responding
to the lawsuit, Google called the allegations “meritless.”
“We don’t impose the same restrictions as other mobile operating
systems do,” Wilson White, Google’s senior director of Public Policy, wrote on
Wednesday.
“So, it’s
strange that a group of state attorneys general chose to file a lawsuit
attacking a system that provides more openness and choice than others.”
Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment by
The Epoch Times.
https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/google-sued-36-states-dc-over-alleged-antitrust-violations
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