The CEO of Alphabet Inc., Sundar Pichai, will be testifying in a trial on November 6th in a federal court in San Francisco. The trial, brought by Epic Games Inc., is centred around the legality of Google Play policies and how they may impact the app marketplace's revenue. Both Pichai and Epic's CEO, Tim Sweeney, have been named as witnesses in the case, which questions whether Google Play's policies restrict competition and violate antitrust laws. This legal battle began when Epic filed a lawsuit against Google in 2020, claiming that the app store's distribution, payment, and fee policies were illegal.
This dispute is part of a larger antitrust confrontation where Google is being accused of acting like a monopoly by nearly thirty state attorneys general, consumers, and Match Group Inc.
Pichai will testify in two trials, one in Washington where the US Justice Department has accused Alphabet of monopolistic practices, and another where Alphabet has settled claims made by consumers and state attorneys general regarding Google Play's control over Android mobile applications. The details of the settlement were not disclosed, but if finalized, it would limit the scope of the antitrust battle, with Google still facing allegations from Epic and Match regarding its alleged monopoly power in the Android app distribution market.
Pichai will be questioned by Epic's lawyers for about an hour on topics such as Android business practices and Google's partnerships with wireless carriers and mobile device manufacturers. Google's legal team may also have Pichai testify for 30 minutes to defend its app marketplace policies.
The case, titled In Re Google Play Store Antitrust Litigation, will be held at the US District Court in San Francisco, California.
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