Google challenged: Epic Games sues Google in India for not complying with antitrust order properly

After a long and gruelling court battle in the US, Epic Games has now sued Google for not complying with the antitrust order that the Competition Council of India had imposed on Google over how it markets Android and how it has set up Android’s app marketplace, the Google Play Store. Back in October, the CCI directed the internet major to cease and desist from unfair business practices. CCI noted that the internet major has leveraged its dominant position in the app store market for Android OS to enter as well. The CCI had imposed a fine of Rs 1,337.76 crore in that case. Epic’s complaint against Google Epic is alleging that the tech giant is not hosting the gaming company’s app store on Google’s Play Store app. Epic’s claims are the latest in a number of legal issues to haunt Alphabet and Google in India.   **Also read: Indian competition regulator slaps Rs 1,337.76 crore fine on Google for 'abusing dominant position in markets'** Google said last month that it will revamp its Android business model in India, and also cease its practice of requiring device manufacturers to pre-install a variety of Google programmes like YouTube or Chrome, after losing a court battle with the Competition Commission of India (CCI). **Also Read: Why CCI has slapped Google with another massive fine** India’s antitrust watchdog has instructed Google to permit the hosting of third-party app shops inside the Play Store. It also required Google to permit unrestricted software downloads or sideloading as it is known, from outside the Play Store for users. Epic claims that Google has not complied with either of the directives.   Why Epic is going after Google in India? India is not the only country where Google and Apple are embroiled in legal battles over their anticompetitive behaviour. Epic Games, on the other hand, has been involved in a number of cases against both, Google as well as Apple over their restrictions on the App Store, for charging an exorbitant fee from app developers to allow their apps on the respective app stores.   Epic Games actually has plans to launch its own app store within Play Store in India. India is one of the fastest-growing mobile gaming markets in India and has a user base of over 600 million mobile gamers.   **Also read: After Google’s Fine, CCI to now speed up its investigation into Apple's anti-competitive behaviour** Fortnite, one of the most notable battle royale games, never had the proper opportunity to compete in India. The Fortnite app was kicked out of the app stores of both Google and Apple in 2020, after Epic Games launched a direct payment link that bypassed the commission system that both, Apple App Store and Google Play Store impose.   India however has emerged as a vital market for Epic Games in a different sector. Some of India’s biggest hits of recent times, RRR, Pathan and PS:1 were all made using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine.   **Also read: Films like ‘RRR’ and ‘PS:1’ are only possible because of the video game industry’s Unreal Engine** Google’s response Bakari Middleton, Director of Global Public Policy at Epic Games, said in a statement, “We are seeking to join Indian developers in court to support the CCI’s judgement that forces Google to enable rival third-party app shops." Google on the other hand has said in a statement that it has submitted its “compliance plan to the CCI and continue to respectfully follow the legal process in India." When the CCI issued its directive back in October, Google responded by saying that the Android ecosystem’s expansion will be constrained by the decision, while denying wrongdoing and saying that they will be attempting to block the mandate.   Although the Supreme Court of India allowed Google to continue fighting its case before the New Delhi appeals tribunal where Epic has also filed its plea, the Indian Supreme Court directed Google to abide by the CCI’s instructions. In the upcoming days, the court is likely to consider Epic’s request for an injunction compelling Google to abide by the CCI’s decision. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.