Google accused of 'antitrust law violation', agrees to pay $700 million with over 30 US states

Google has agreed to pay $700 million (approximately 914.6 billion KRW) to more than 30 U.S. states that filed lawsuits accusing it of violating antitrust laws in the Android app market, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

According to the report, Google announced in a statement on the 18th (local time) that it would pay $630 million to a settlement fund for consumers and $70 million to funds that each U.S. state can use.

Additionally, Google explained that it has improved its system to allow app and game developers to offer their own payment systems alongside Google’s Play Store payment system, thereby expanding autonomous competition within the Play Store. Google also stated that it would simplify the process for users to download apps directly from developers.

Earlier, 36 U.S. states including Utah and Washington D.C. filed a lawsuit in the California federal court in 2021, claiming that Google violated antitrust laws by unfairly abusing its authority over developers selling apps on the Play Store. The states argued that Google’s mandatory 30% commission fee imposed on app developers hindered competition in the app market.

Subsequently, on September, more than 30 state governments announced a tentative agreement with Google. However, Google did not disclose the details of this agreement, considering its potential impact on its ongoing lawsuit with Epic Games, the maker of the popular game Fortnite. The specific terms of the agreement were revealed after the ruling in that lawsuit was issued last week.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.