Google Judge Balks at Altering App Store Fee Without Expert Help
- San Francisco judge proposes getting expert economists’ input
- December jury verdict threatens billions in Alphabet revenue
The verdict handed down by a San Francisco jury on Dec. 11 threatens billions of dollars in revenue for Google Play.
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The judge presiding over Epic Games Inc.’s challenge to Google’s Play Store business model said he’s not confident about setting a fee for mobile app developers without expert input.
A jury last month sided with the maker of the popular game Fortnite and concluded that Alphabet Inc.’s Google Play unlawfully abused its power in what has become a duopoly with Apple Inc. that generates close to $200 billion a year. In the next phase of the case, US District Judge James Donato will decide on a remedy.