What you need to know
- Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite, is filing another lawsuit against Google and now Samsung for anti-competitive practices related to third-party downloads.
- This new lawsuit focuses on Samsung’s “Auto Blocker” feature, which Epic’s CEO Tim Sweeney claims is designed to hinder competition.
- Epic has presented a draft of its 42-page lawsuit to Samsung.
- An earlier lawsuit in December 2023 resulted in a jury ruling in favor of Epic in their case against Google regarding anti-competitive practices in the Play Store.
Epic Games is pushing forward with its fight for third-party app stores, this time targeting Google and Samsung.
The latest legal action is centered around Samsung’s “Auto Blocker” feature found on devices running One UI 6 and above. This feature, default on Galaxy devices, prevents users from installing “unauthorized” apps, including those from third-party app stores. Epic argues that there is no clear process for outside parties to gain authorization.
Tim Sweeney, Epic’s CEO, criticizes the Auto Blocker as designed to stifle competition rather than protect against malware, as it claims to do.
Despite The Verge’s inquiry, Samsung neither confirmed nor denied the functionality of Auto Blocker. However, a Samsung spokesperson asserts that the company promotes market competition, consumer choice, and fair operations.
Epic had proposed a “whitelisting” process to Samsung for the Auto Blocker, aiming to simplify the complex steps required to bypass the feature. When negotiations failed, Epic proceeded to draft a 42-page lawsuit against both Samsung and Google.
This lawsuit also targets Google for alleged antitrust practices against third-party stores similar to Samsung’s. Epic alleges collaboration between Samsung and Google in developing the Auto Blocker, but no concrete evidence has been provided.
Google refutes these claims, with its Android security head asserting that Google did not request the creation of Samsung’s Auto Blocker feature.
Epic is once again seeking a jury trial, with Sweeney emphasizing that this battle, like the previous one against Google, is not just for Epic but for all developers.
Epic’s battle against Samsung over the “Auto Blocker” feature is a continuation of previous complaints from the company’s CEO. Sweeney echoed his earlier criticisms of Google in a tweet, highlighting how the feature obstructs users from using competing app stores.
Epic’s victory against Google in 2023 in an antitrust case regarding the Play Store was driven by Epic’s introduction of its own payment system for Fortnite. The jury agreed that the Play Store’s dominance in Android downloads and alleged antitrust behavior were detrimental to other developers.
The Verge also notes that the 2023 verdict did not involve issues related to “Unknown Sources” or third-party apps/stores. With this new lawsuit against Google and Samsung, Epic appears to be heading back to the courtroom.
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