Google is to pay $90 million to settle a class-action lawsuit with US developers over alleged anti-competitive behavior regarding the Google Play Store.
Eligible for a share in the $90 million fund are US developers who earned two million dollars or less in annual revenue through Google Play between 2016 and 2021. "A vast majority of US developers who earned revenue through Google Play will be eligible to receive money from this fund," said Google.
Law firm Hagens Berman announced the settlement this morning, having been one of the
first to file a class case. The legal firm was one of four that secured a
$100 million settlement from Apple in 2021 for US iOS developers.
The accusations that will be settled are depressing familiar – attorneys had alleged that Google excluded competing app stores from its platform and that the search giant charged app developers eye-watering fees.
Google
said it "and a group of US developers have reached a proposed settlement that allows both parties to move forward and avoids years of uncertain and distracting litigation."
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