Following the ban on the Play Store last August and the lawsuit by Epic Games, Google counters the creators of Fortnite, in effect following in the footsteps of Apple, which had filed a lawsuit against the developer. The elimination of the game occurred after the introduction of a different payment method for micro transactions within the game.
Exactly as done by the Cupertino company in the past, the giant Google has decided to sue Epic Games in turn, as he broke the rules of the contract when he entered a payment method other than the Play Store. The motivation, as reported in the lawsuit, underlines how the company has enriched itself behind Google, now asking for compensation.
The American giant will base its lawsuit on the precedent set by the judge in the Epic v Apple case, which did not see the Californian company come out as the winner, but which confirmed the breach of the contract by the creators of Fortnite. In this way, Google will be able to ask for compensation for all transactions that took place outside the Play Store.
The major difference between the two cases lies in the fact that Google allows the download of apps outside the Play Store, which is not the case for Apple devices, which are necessarily linked to the Apple Store. This difference means that users can freely decide where to download an application.
Google countersues Epic over Fortnite’s ban on the Play Store https://t.co/zKaYvJDUOy
– TheSixthAxis (@TheSixthAxis) October 13, 2021
The introduction of a payment method other than the Play Store has, to all intents and purposes, violated the contract with the American giant, who has now decided to seek compensation for the losses suffered. The same company thus confirms about the possibility of downloading apps from other sites:
Consumers and developers don’t have to use Google Play, they choose to use it when given a choice between Android app stores and distribution channels. Google supports this choice through Android itself, Google Play policies, and Google’s agreements with device developers and manufacturers.
Google’s counter-complaint to Epic Games for the ban on Fortnite it is therefore added to the various lawsuits already in progress, pending a definitive sentence by the court.