Now, US District Judge James Donato in San Francisco is determining the necessary policy changes for Google to comply with federal antitrust laws. During a hearing on Wednesday, Donato indicated he would issue a ruling in the coming weeks and is contemplating a remedy that could apply globally, given the jury’s finding of anticompetitive practices worldwide.
The judge reprimanded Google for resisting some of the remedies proposed by Epic Games Inc. While Google estimated it could take 12 to 16 months to implement the changes, Donato signaled that he expects a quicker timeline, remarking, “It’s Google. You can do better than that.”
Donato’s forthcoming ruling will mark the first US attempt to curb Google’s dominance following years of European competition cases and fines exceeding 8.25 billion euros ($9.1 billion). The outcome could impact billions of dollars in revenue for Google Play, which charges up to 30% commission to software developers who often have limited alternatives for app distribution.
In December’s verdict, the jury found that Google, which has faced antitrust scrutiny for a decade, engaged in illegal monopolization globally, except in China. Just last week, a judge in another federal court ruled that Google had illegally monopolized online search and advertising markets. The Justice Department, alongside state attorneys general, is considering whether to seek a breakup of the company following that decision, as reported by Bloomberg.
Epic had requested that some of the remedies, such as allowing third-party app stores access to millions of apps on Google Play, remain in place for six years. Google argued that one or two years should suffice for apps to establish themselves, after which it should no longer be compelled to “support its competitors.” Donato suggested his ruling would likely extend for at least three years and mentioned plans to appoint a three-member technical committee to oversee Google’s compliance with his order.
The judge assured Google’s lawyers that he did not intend to micromanage the company’s operations, stating, “I have no intention of having a highly detailed decree that ends up impairing competition.”
Epic has also been engaged in a prolonged antitrust battle against Apple Inc.’s app store.
