UK Lawsuit Targets Google App Store Charges

By Adria Calatayud

Alphabet Inc.'s Google is facing a lawsuit in the U.K. over its Google Play app store charges in a legal case that claims that users are entitled to compensation, the claimants said Thursday.

The claim has been filed in the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London by consumer advocate Liz Coll and legal firm Hausfeld & Co. LLP on behalf of around 19.5 million U.K. users of Google Play, the claimants said.

The legal action follows a similar, separate claim against Apple Inc. over charges made on its App Store, which was filed in London's Competition Appeal Tribunal in May. At the time, Apple said the claim was meritless.

In the Google case, the claim alleges the company bundles its app store with other products and services, shutting down competition for app distribution on devices that use the Android operating system, the claim organizers said.

In response, Google said the vast majority of developers on Google Play don't pay any service fees which means that their apps are free to consumers.

"This lawsuit ignores the benefits and choice Android and Google Play provide as well as the competitive market in which we operate," a Google spokesperson said.

Earlier this month, three dozen states and the District of Columbia filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google's app store practices. Google said at the time that it provides an open operating system in which customers are free to download apps directly from developers' websites.

Write to Adria Calatayud at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 29, 2021 05:35 ET (09:35 GMT)

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