Google Play Trial to Test Alphabet’s App Marketplace Power
- CEO Sundar Pichai and Epic’s Tim Sweeney expected to testify
- A jury will decide whether Google broke antitrust statutes
This article is for subscribers only.
Alphabet Inc. is facing off with Epic Games Inc. at a trial this week in an antitrust fight targeting the technology giant’s control over its money-spinning Google Play app store.
The showdown in San Francisco federal court threatens billions of dollars in revenue generated by Alphabet’s app marketplace. In a lawsuit filed three years ago, Epic claims Google has monopolized the Android app distribution market for more than a decade by striking side deals to pay off rivals and uses its “vast resources to snuff out all competition.” If Alphabet loses, it could be forced to open the door for payment and app distribution methods outside its own app store.