Google has finally responded to the extensive (and, in some places, wild) list of remedies proposed by Epic Games. The company called the demands unnecessary, arguing that they “would make it nearly impossible for Google to compete.”
This comes months after Epic Games won a lawsuit against Google in December, when the jury unanimously ruled that Google had created an illegal monopoly in the Android app distribution market and in-app billing services.
Last month, Epic proposed a list of remedies, demanding that Google (among many other things):
- Provide third-party app stores with access to the Play Store app and game catalog for six years;
- Allow consumers and developers to choose how they make and offer in-app purchases, free of fees and restrictions;
- Allow consumers to download apps outside the Play Store;
- Allow developers to run their own stores (Epic should be able to launch the EGS on Android “without delays and barriers”);
- Create a compliance committee, with a compliance officer telling the court every year if Google complies with the injunction.
In a new filing, Google asked the court not to impose those changes, saying that Epic Games’ proposed remedies are not just an injunction against violations of the law, but rather a way to “create a new global regulatory regime.” The company added that the Fortnite maker also “seeks remedies to which it is not entitled.”
“Taken as a whole, Epic’s proposed remedies have the cumulative effect of preventing Google from competing to the detriment of consumers, developers, OEMs, and carriers across the Android ecosystem and beyond,” the filing reads.
Google believes that Epic’s remedies would harm the security, privacy, and user experience of Android users. The company also called the proposal overly board and vague and noted that it “would improperly regulate Google’s prices.”
“Not only does their proposal go far beyond the scope of the recent U.S. trial verdict — which we will be challenging — it’s also unnecessary due to the settlement we reached last year with state attorneys general from every state and multiple territories,” Google VP of government affairs & public policy Wilson White told TechCrunch.
It is now up to Judge James Donato to decide the next step based on Epic’s proposed remedies and Google’s objection. The new hearing in the case is scheduled for May 23.