back to article Google coughs up $700M in Play Store antitrust suit

Google is to pay $700 million and overhaul some policies to settle the Play Store antitrust lawsuit launched by US states and consumers. The September settlement, made public this week, includes $630 million that Google will pay into a fund to be distributed for the benefit of consumers, and $70 million is headed to a fund to …

  1. m4r35n357 Silver badge

    Ob & obscure!

    Felt Nowt!

  2. Dinanziame Silver badge
    Angel

    So they are settling the lawsuit with the government, and appealing the ruling with Epic? I guess you got to pick your battles.

    1. Phones Sheridan Silver badge

      The government is probably the only organisation with pockets deep enough to keep funding the court cases indefinitely. Bill Gates once said that fighting the government is a battle you will always lose. Even if you win, the government makes a change in the law, and starts again.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        The problem you have is that these mega large companies are now worth trillions. Richer and more powerful than most rich countries. They have been extremely affective at getting their way and are the main source of trouble in this world.

        About Bill Gates, how is MS's tax dodging case going? How did the covid vaccine rollout go with his foundation in poor countries?

        Tim Sweeney is correct about the need to be bolder.

        Historic wins over the last week.

      2. Spazturtle Silver badge

        The government actually save money for being in court. Public prosecutors are paid a salary so they get paid even if they are not in court, but if the government wins a case then the person their sued has to pay their legal costs including the prosecutors salary for the duration of the case. So the longer the case drags on the more the government save.

        1. Phones Sheridan Silver badge

          I thought in the US that lawyers fees for the winning are rarely awarded?

  3. hoola Silver badge

    Licensing

    I would also suggest they stop the practice of removing perfectly good software that usually does a simply task REALLY WELL for the simple reason it has not been "updated".

    Why the heck does something that works have to be updated all the time. I am not talking about all this modern shite that is an ad-infested skin for a web browser but some useful tools.

    This might be basic but I had an excellent, very simple metronome that just stopped working. No adds or anything. It just worked. The error "unable to validate license". Go and search to find it has been removed but I cannot do anything to make it run even though I have the APK.

    The same for some other odds and ends.

    1. Gene Cash Silver badge

      Re: Licensing

      YES. Man.. I wish I could give you a thousand upvotes.

      I've had 8 or 9 excellent apps disappear because they couldn't update to the latest Android for whatever reason.

      I still miss the PYKL3 app, which was the best weather and storm app ever. It even supported airport high resolution TDWR radars, such as Orlando International, which had about 10x-25x the resolution of the NWS WSR-88D radars but only half the range. As I was usually inside the range, it was great. It also displayed lightning and earthquake activity.

      Gone, because they couldn't update to Android 12.

      Google need to be hit again. Harder.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "updating the language that informs users about these potential risks of downloading apps directly from the web for the first time."

    I see you are accessing a site that is not protected by Google Grotty-Guard. Unprotected sites can host a range of paedo and other material. For your protection Googles law enforcement partners monitor access to all potential paedo sites that people like you access from 18A Buttle Gardens, Monrovia, IL 32456

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Crapple next up please.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      They went first. the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found that Apple’s closed App Store and security restrictions didn’t violate antitrust law, but that Apple couldn’t maintain anti-steering rules that prevent users from learning about alternate payment options.

      The difference is that Apple, much as there is about the company to dislike, isn't anywhere near as appallingly manipulative, underhanded and generally awful as Google.

      1. Santa from Exeter

        Bullshit. Apple are the worst of the lot! I wonder how much they paid the judge for that fucked up decision. If it's closed, it's a monopoly. Hate on Google all you want, but they do at least allow sideloading and Apple take exactly the same cut from developers as Google, making a mockery of that part as well.

      2. Snake Silver badge

        RE appallingly manipulative

        Where did you come up with that? The decision had nothing to do with Apple being less manipulative, and everything to do with Apple not being considered a 'monopoly' because of their 'small' market share compared to Google.

  6. EricB123 Silver badge

    Wow, the damage awards are getting huge!

    "Consumer will receive at least $2"

    Well, that is two magnitudes better than the $0.02 settlement I got from AT&T in some court case years earlier. Can somebody tell me what the attorneys received?

    I actually framed the $0.02 check but it quickly faded.

  7. Bebu
    Childcatcher

    From "not" to "only"

    "I actually framed the $0.02 check but it quickly faded."

    Went from not worth the paper it was written on to only worth the paper...

    A parable for the times...

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