And as long as Congress does not write new competition laws for the digital age, it might be up to the Supreme Court to provide some clarity. Wu from Harvard points out that forcing Silicon Valley companies to change has long been an uphill battle, since the antitrust laws being used against the high-tech firms are more than a century old. It is not clear if Apple's changes to its App Store in Europe will eventually extend to the rest of the globe, and if so, how Google might respond, but Europe is the third-largest App Store revenue stream, behind China and the U.S., so changes there can exert pressure on the company to make wholesale changes how the app store operates. For instance, the new iPhone 15 features a new way to charge the phones - with USB-C chargers (the same as Androids) - after European officials passed rules requiring tech companies to agree on a universal charger. The EU's mandates already have led Apple to make changes in other parts of its business. That would let customers sidestep what's become known as "the Apple tax" and even the playing field for third-party developers, Bloomberg reported last year. Regardless of what happens with the Epic cases, some observers say regulatory pressure in the European Union may spark swifter changes to app stores.Īs part of the EU's sweeping Digital Markets Act, Apple is preparing to allow other app stores on its devices. "The Google decision could open up innovation opportunities, so more players can be in the space, because right now, Google does not feel competitive pressure from the outside." New EU rules could shape app store policies "Even though it might be a significant, but not huge, percentage of Google's revenue, it is important to get competition where competition could and should exist," said Eleanor Fox, a professor at New York University School of Law, referring to the app store commissions. Nonetheless, legal scholars generally agree that more competition against the two tech behemoths would benefit anyone who uses a mobile device. Granted, in such a situation, Epic Games would be poised to get richer, too. Sweeney has long said that forcing Apple and Google to loosen their ironclad grip over app stores would allow app developers to make more money, lower prices for consumers and allow for greater innovation. Technology More Than 30 States Sue Google Over 'Extravagant' Fees In Google Play Store So, Google could be required to treat all apps the same, regardless of whether they were downloaded through Google Play or elsewhere.Įven though Google, unlike Apple, allows for what is known as sideloading, or downloading apps outside of its app store, more than 95% of all downloads onto Android phones in the U.S. "The judge could blow up the idea of exclusivity in the app store and say Google can't discriminate among apps," Lemley said. Or the judge could use the jury verdict as a way to systemically change how Google Play Store operates. (It was kicked out after Epic violated Google's app store policies and offered gamers a way to circumvent Google's app store fees. Mark Lemley, a professor at Stanford Law School who teaches courses on competition law, said the judge could go very narrow or very broad with possible remedies.įor example, the judge could order Google to let Fortnite back into its app store. District Judge James Donato, has said hearings will be held in January in San Francisco about remedies, or in plain English: What Google will have to change to comply with the law and stop operating like a monopoly? The judge who presided over the trial, U.S. Apple does not have to make any changes to its app store until the high court has its say. Apple has appealed that to the Supreme Court. While Apple largely won, the court ordered Apple to give people more ways to pay for things in its app store, not just through Apple's own payment processor, which can take a fee of up to 30% of the transaction. Supreme Court to review the decision in the Apple case. How will the cases affect iPhones and Androids?Įpic is asking the U.S.
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