An American judge ordered, this Monday 7th, that the Google authorize the installation of platforms competing with its Google Play application store, although the group has informed that it will appeal the decision.
The order is the result of Google’s legal defeat in a free competition case brought by video game developer Epic Games, in which a California jury ruled that Google maintains an illegal monopoly, through its store, on the Android operating system for mobile devices.
“We look forward to continuing to present our case on appeal and will continue to advocate for what is best for Android developers, device manufacturers and the billions of Android users around the world,” said Lee-Anne Mulholland, the company’s vice president of regulatory affairs.
Phones using the Android operating system hold around 70% of the global smart device market.
A jury in San Francisco took just hours in December to rule against Google, finding that the group adopted several illegal strategies to maintain a monopoly on its app store on phones with the Android operating system.
The case adds to another setback for Google in August, when a federal judge ruled that the leading online search engine company also has an illegal monopoly in that sector.
Google also faces a competition lawsuit in another federal case in Virginia, the latter over its dominance in the online advertising market.