Google sues Fortnite maker for not paying Google Play fees

Bloomberg - - Google ramped up its Antitrust battle against Epic Games Inc. for publishing its massive Fortnite game on Android last year and sidestepping Google Play billing system.

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None They Invented the Must-Have Instrument for the Burning Man Set. Google claims Epic unjustly breached its developer contract by updating Fortnite with a Hotfix to avoid paying Google Play developer fees and creating itself at Google's expense. Moreover, Google went forward with its launch potentially at the cost of user security, Epic said.

Epic, which is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, has said it lost global service fees as a result of Google s breach of contract.

The Google Play ecosystem has suffered injury because the hotfix potentially exposed a security vulnerability that can be exploited for even more nefarious purposes, Google said.

Epic continues to breach its contractual obligations as gamers who download a non-approved file of Fortnite can still make in-app purchases through Epic's payment system outside Google Play, according to the complaint.

Epic declined to comment on the lawsuit.

In the last year, Epic Apple Inc. and Google accused each of maintaining a duopoly of mobile distribution with their app stores. Apple s business model that includes collecting a commission from app developers was largely relaxed in a decision of judge in September after a trial in May, although the judge did eventually vindicate Apple s grip on its App Store Rules.

The Google case isn t that far along as its competitors. Just like Apple is making counterclaims against Epic, Google is now taking that measure.

Google also faces a sweeping complaint filed by attorneys general of three dozen states in July, alleging that the company unlawfully violated its power over the sale and distribution of apps through Google Play.

The case is Epic Games Inc. v. Google LLC, 3: 20 - Call Center - 05671, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California San Francisco None As Louisianans Flee Hurricanes, Natural Gas Dollars and Jobs Flood In