Epic Games and Match Group are joining together to expand their lawsuit against Google in light of claims alleging bribery.
According to Engadget, Google paid developers to prevent Play Store competition by making it difficult for Epic Games and Match Group to penetrate their app store.
Google Is In Hot Waters Amidst Accusations
Epic Games and Match Group have reinforced their respective antitrust cases, going after Google and its distribution practices since the first amendment complaint.
The two companies are looking to make their lawsuit more extensive after accusing Google of paying off developers to create Android apps in the likeness to theirs, limiting market margins.
According to Tech Times, a motion was filed in the Northern District of California's federal court on Friday, following temporary agreements with Google earlier this year.
The motion states that a "per se" of the Sherman Act was committed by Google, which violates the main antitrust law in the United States.
The act specifies that there is no need to show how a behavior specifically negatively affects the market because it has accepted actions such as reducing competition.
While there are no specifics provided on that matter, Tech Times Writes that the root of this want to expand the lawsuit are several agreements like "Project Hug."
Foss Patents reports that "Project Hug" maintaining a bias and remaining loyal to Google PlayStore is illegal, constituting illegal and unreasonable restraint of trade.
Read More: Epic Games vs Apple Antitrust Lawsuit Is Scheduled For October
Google Is Not Backing Down
Google will set the record straight and oppose the motion as the company counters that the claims are inaccurate.
Engadget reports that Google is looking forward to clearing its name in court, arguing that Google Play competes fairly with rivals for developers.
"The program on which Epic and Match base their claims simply provides incentives for developers to give benefits and early access to Google Play users when they release new or updated content," Google says.
The company also added that the allegations do not prevent developers from creating applications because they have a number of options for operating systems and app stores.
In June, Google filed a countersuit against Match for attempting to pay nothing for access to the PlayStore, only putting google under more scrutiny because of its high store fees.
Meanwhile, Epics' amendment complaint now includes gathered evidence on Google's monopolization of the market after a massive loss in market sales for Fortnite Mobile.
This current dispute between the three giant corporations puts into question why Google runs the Android ecosystem, using it to generate its main revenue through an open-source method.
The ongoing lawsuit is taking place in the United States but will have a definitive impact on international markets and users, according to Foss Patents.
Because of this, Google might need to make forced changes in the way it runs with Android, and with how it incentivizes developers for Google PlayStore.
Potentially, Google might face multiple action lawsuits, both internationally and domestically, if the evidence suffices the complaints currently being investigated.
Related Article: Google to Pay Arizona $85 Million to Settle 2020 Lawsuit Over Illegal Tracking of Android Users
