Epic Games and Match Group add more against Google and its alleged anti-competitive practices

Epic and Match return to the war against Google, adding new allegations to the case.

Epic Games and Match Group are trying to expand the scope of their lawsuits against Google to include new allegations. In a recent filing in federal court for the Northern District of California, the two companies accuse Google of buying developers who had the funds and ability to create competing Android stores.

Epic and Match return to war with Google

In particular, Epic and Match point to deals like Project Hug. The initiative, later called the Apps and Games Velocity Program, saw Google spend millions of dollars to keep some popular Android developers on the Play Store, according to a lawsuit filed by Epic last year.

“Some of these agreements were designed and authorized in order to prevent developers from launching competing stores,” the petition says, adding that Google was “in itself” violating the Sherman Act, the main US antitrust law. Under the Sherman Act, violations per se do not require the plaintiff to demonstrate how certain conduct may have adversely affected the market, as it is generally accepted that such conduct reduces competition (for example, price fixing falls into this category).

adding new charges

Google has told Engadget that it opposes the proposal. “Epic and Match are also adding several inaccurate claims to their already ongoing lawsuits, and we look forward to establishing the full truth in court,”a spokesperson for the company said.

“The program that Epic and Match are basing their claims on is simply providing developer benefits that give rewards and early access to Google Play users when they release new content; this does not prevent developers from creating competing stores, as they claim, ”adds the giant. “In truth, the program is proof that Google Play competes fairly with its many developer competitors, which have multiple operating system options and blinds.”

The petition comes after Epic and Match reached an interim agreement with Google a few months ago to ensure their apps remain on the Play Store until the issue is resolved. In a counterattack filed by Google in June, Mountain View accused Match of trying to “pay nothing”for access to the Play Store. The commission charged by Google from its store has also attracted the attention of the Justice Department and a group of more than three dozen states.