Google should have opened the doors and windows of the Play Store this November 1st. Californian justice has in fact sided withEpic Games who had filed a complaint against the search engine for abuse of a dominant position in the mobile applications market.
Microsoft joins legal battle
Following the jury’s decision last December, judge James Donato in charge of the case then demanded several major changes for the Google store: distribution of alternative stores in the Play Store, possibility for developers to choose another system of payment than that of Google, ban on exclusivities to have preview applications…
But Google appealed and Judge Donato agreed to stay the measures, which were to be implemented on November 1. The postponement could last for years, while the appeal procedure (which could overturn the first judgment) takes place. In short, we didn’t leave the hostel.
This is where Microsoft comes in. The publisher submitted an “amicus brief” to the court to support Epic in its battle against Google. This is a legal document filed by a third party who is not directly involved in a lawsuit but who wishes to provide their perspective to help the court make its decision.
Microsoft intends to voice its concerns about Google’s monopoly on Android apps, and advocate for greater openness of mobile platforms in the United States. The company assures in its brief that it can provide “ unique and balanced perspective » on the antitrust issues linked to the mobile applications sector, in particular in the face of Google’s practices.
Microsoft is not completely innocent: the group has an interest in seeing Google open the Play Store. At the beginning of October, a few days after the judge’s decision, the publisher announced that it was going to sell Xbox games from its Android application, to play them in cloud gaming, again directly in the app. The appeal suspended the implementation of these functions.
Read Xbox will soon be able to sell its games directly in the Android application
Strangely, judgment or not, nothing prevents Microsoft from selling its games in its Android app, without having to pay a commission to Google. Steam has been doing the same for years without any problems. Google did not hesitate to point this out: “ Microsoft has always had the option to offer its Android users the ability to play and purchase Xbox games directly from its app – they simply chose not to », Explains a spokesperson for the search engine to PocketGamer.
« Microsoft’s Amicus brief says out loud what was whispered: the company wants free access to services and users [du Play Store] this holiday season », assures Google. Basically, the company uses the same directory as Apple to defend its monopoly on the distribution of apps: “ The court order and the rush to enforce its implementation threatens Google Play’s ability to provide a safe and secure experience (…) Microsoft, like Epic, is ignoring these very real security concerns ».
Relations between Google and Microsoft are frosty at the moment. In addition to this legal case concerning the Play Store, the two companies are very publicly throwing dishes in each other’s faces over that of the European cloud.
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Source :
PocketGamer
