Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Google faces a second antitrust trial within two months in a case that pits the Google Play Store against Fortnite developer Epic Games, which sued the tech giant three years ago to secure open access to apps and in-app purchases on both Android and iOS devices.
The court battle holds deep implications for app users worldwide and could ultimately impact the way apps are distributed and how customer transactions are managed in virtual spaces.
The federal legal action, filed in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California, claims Google's in-app subscription fees, one-time transaction charges and various user penalties amounted to an illegal monopoly that locked out third-party mobile app developers while holding out on a fair share of revenues.
The case stems from a lengthy debate over whether app store titans like Google and Apple were indeed promoting fair and open competition while claiming their platforms were generating revenue for small businesses and providing data security for both Android and iOS users.
The chief executives for each company were expected to testify, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Epic CEO Tim Sweeney.
