Google sued by US states over Play Store's exorbitant commissions

Google is being sued by states in the U.S. as they said it violated the anti-trust law. The lawyers were said to have filed the lawsuit in the District Court of the Northern District of California on Wednesday, July 7.

The complaints against Google

According to Reuters, the states were expected to sue since they are saying Google did not comply with the anti-trust law with regards to how it operates its Play Store in Android mobile phones.

The recent filings were said to be just one of the series that were lodged against the multinational technology company that specializes in Internet-related services and products. The complaints about the company’s management of its app store are growing despite the fact that it was initially seen as more transparent with its fees compared to Apple.

The plaintiffs pointed out that Google has been barring apps with objectionable content from its Play Store. On top of this, it also requires some apps to make use of the company's payment system and pay as much as 30% of their profits.

These policies triggered criticisms from developers who sell their apps via Google’s app store. In comparison to Samsung and Amazon’s app stores, more people are using Google Play Store, so more developers are using the platform, however, they are frustrated with the high fees and some policies.

The anti-trust lawsuit over Google’s app store practices

CNN Business reported that dozens of states have already filed a complaint against Google, and they are mostly complaining about the fees that the company charges for in-app purchases. They also said that Google is abusing its dominance in the mobile ecosystem to favor the Play Store, so there is less competition.

At least 36 states joined the lawsuit, and these include Utah, New York, California, Massachusetts, and many more. The case is now open in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, and it may soon open in the District of Columbia as well. Meanwhile, Google is not available to give comments on the lawsuits filed by major states across the country.

"App stores have been given a free pass to abuse their dominant market position for far too long," the complainants stated. "Their anti-competitive policies stifle innovation, inhibit consumer freedom, inflate costs and limit transparent communication between developers and their customers."