Trends
‘Monopolist’ Google’s app store must reform
A hearing has been scheduled for 6 September to discuss the court’s timetable for taking remedial action against Google in the case.
Headline
A hearing has been scheduled for 6 September to discuss the court’s timetable for taking remedial action against Google in the case.
Context
OUR TAKE Illegal monopolistic behaviour by enterprises is not only detrimental to the stability of the market environment, but also undermines, to a certain extent, the right of millions of consumers to make their own choices. In order to maintain normal competition in the market and protect application developers and consumers, the government should intervene in enterprises with illegal monopolies. — Iydia Ding, BTW reporter U.S. District Judge James Donato said Wednesday he will order a major overhaul of Google ‘s Android app shop, forcing Alphabet ‘s Google to provide Android users with more ways to download apps, but will not micromanage the tech giant’s business.
Evidence
Pending intelligence enrichment.
Analysis
The jury recommended penalties against Google after declaring that it had designed a system that was allegedly a monopoly, to the detriment of millions of consumers and app developers. This follows last year’s jury verdict against Fortnite maker Epic Games on similar grounds. During the three-hour-long hearing in San Francisco, the federal judge made it clear that he is considering, and may explicitly require in upcoming reforms, that Google’s Play shop for Android phones provide consumers with the option to download alternative app shops. Last week, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google spent billions of dollars to become the Internet’s default search engine. Google has denied the claim. A hearing has been scheduled for 6 September to discuss the court’s timetable for taking remedial action against Google in the case. Also read: Could the US actually break up Google?
Key Points
- US judge says “monopolist” Google can’t avoid app store reforms.
- A hearing has been scheduled for September 6 to discuss the court’s timetable for taking remedial action against Google in the case.
Actions
Pending intelligence enrichment.
