Epic Games, a video game developer that makes Fortnite, accused Alphabet and Google, as well as Samsung – the largest Android phone maker in the world – of conspiring together to protect Google Play Store from competition. Epic filed a suit in a US federal court in California, alleging that Samsung’s mobile security feature Auto Blocker was designed to prevent users from downloading applications from sources other than Google Play or Samsung Galaxy Store. This is Epic ‘s second antitrust lawsuit against Google.
Epic, a US-based company backed by China’s tencent, claims that Samsung and Google have violated US antitrust laws by reducing the choice of apps and preventing competition, which would reduce their price. Tim Sweeney said to reporters that the Epic CEO was concerned about unfair competition, which is when users are misled into believing that competitors’ products were inferior than their own.
Google is trying to protect the user by saying that you can’t install apps from unidentified sources. Google has distributed Fortnite in the past. Google didn’t immediately respond to comments. Samsung announced that it would “vigorously dispute Epic Games’ baseless allegations”.
Samsung stated in a statement that the features built into their devices were designed according to Samsung’s core principles for security, privacy and user control. We remain committed to protecting users’ data and users can disable Auto Blocker anytime. Epic said Samsung’s Auto Blocker is designed to mitigate the impact of an US ruling Epic won in December 2023 against Google that will force the company into making apps more easily available from other sources.
Epic has said that it will also bring up its concerns about Google’s business practices with the European Union regulators, who have long been scrutinizing Google’s conduct. Epic had earlier fought with Google and Apple about their rules charging up to 30% on app store payments. It was banned on iPhones for almost four years. But it is now available on Android devices worldwide and in Europe.
Samsung will introduce Auto Blocker as an optional feature on its smartphones by the end of 2023 to prevent users from downloading malware-containing apps. Epic says Samsung made Auto Blocker default in July, and deliberately made it hard to bypass or disable.
Epic Games, based in Cary, North Carolina, sued Google 2020, alleging that it had stifled the competition by controlling app distribution and payment.
Post Disclaimer
The following content has been published by Stockmark.IT. All information utilised in the creation of this communication has been gathered from publicly available sources that we consider reliable. Nevertheless, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this communication.
This communication is intended solely for informational purposes and should not be construed as an offer, recommendation, solicitation, inducement, or invitation by or on behalf of the Company or any affiliates to engage in any investment activities. The opinions and views expressed by the authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Company, its affiliates, or any other third party.
The services and products mentioned in this communication may not be suitable for all recipients, by continuing to read this website and its content you agree to the terms of this disclaimer.