Epic Sues Google and Samsung, Accusing Them of Illegally Limiting Competition in App Stores

Four years after Epic sued Google for running an illegal app store monopoly, the Fortnite game developer has filed a second antitrust lawsuit against Google and Samsung. The new lawsuit accuses them of illegally conspiring to undermine third-party app stores, specifically targeting Samsung's "Auto Blocker" feature that comes turned-on-by-default on new Samsung phones.

The Auto Blocker feature automatically keeps users from installing apps unless they come from "authorized sources," namely, Google and Samsung's app stores. Epic claims that there is no process for any rival store to become "authorized." The company also alleges that Samsung's "21-step process" for downloading a third-party app store is overly complex, making it difficult for users to install competing apps.

Epic launched its own mobile app store on Android globally and on iPhones in the European Union in August. However, a month before its launch, Samsung decided to make Auto Blocker more restrictive, making it harder for new phone buyers to install competing apps.

Epic claims that Samsung's promise of safety through Auto Blocker is bogus, as the feature conducts no assessment of the safety or security of any specific source or app before blocking an installation. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says that the feature is designed to prevent competition, rather than protect against malware.

The lawsuit is asking for a jury trial and is seeking to prevent Google and Samsung from pursuing a "malicious compliance strategy" in response to a potential decision in Epic v. Google. The outcome of the lawsuit could have significant implications for the app store market, potentially allowing third-party app stores to access Google Play's entire app catalog.

Epic is suing Google - again - and now Samsung too

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