Epic Games has filed a federal lawsuit against Google and Samsung, accusing the tech giants of colluding to undermine competition in the app distribution market. The lawsuit, filed Monday in California federal court, claims that Google and Samsung are preemptively working together to sidestep a potential court order that could force Google to allow more competition with its Play Store.
Epic Games sues Google and Samsung : Allegations of Collusion
Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, alleges that Samsung is now aiding Google in avoiding its legal obligations, even as a California judge considers remedies following a jury’s verdict last year. The jury found that Google exercised monopolistic control over app distribution on Android devices, a significant blow to the search giant.
In its lawsuit, Epic Games claims that in July, Samsung made it more difficult for users to install apps outside of the Google Play Store and the Samsung Galaxy Store. The complaint points to Samsung’s recent changes to its “auto blocker” feature, which now requires users to follow a complicated 21-step process to install third-party apps. Epic argues that this move is part of a coordinated effort with Google to weaken any forthcoming legal remedy designed to foster competition.
Preemptive Strategy to Block Competition
Epic Games asserts that the new auto blocker feature was specifically designed to obstruct the U.S. District Court’s potential ruling following the jury’s decision. “Samsung’s recent implementation of the auto blocker feature was intentionally crafted in coordination with Google to preemptively undermine the U.S. district court’s remedy following the jury’s verdict in Epic’s case against Google,” Epic said in a statement.
