Court Orders Google (a Monopolist) To Knock It Off With the Monopoly Stuff
www.eff.org
A federal court recently ordered Google to make it easier for Android users to switch to rival app stores, banned Google from using its vast cash reserves to block competitors, and hit Google with a bundle of thou-shalt-nots and assorted prohibitions.Each of these measures is well crafted, narrowly...

For the next three years, Google must meet the following criteria:

  • Allow third-party app stores for Android, and let those app stores distribute all the same apps as are available in Google Play (app developers can opt out of this);
  • Distribute third-party app stores as apps, so users can switch app stores by downloading a new one from Google Play, in just the same way as they’d install any app;
  • Allow apps to use any payment processor, not just Google’s 30 percent money-printing machine;
  • Permit app vendors to tell users about other ways to pay for the things they buy in-app;
  • Permit app vendors to set their own prices.

Google is also prohibited from using its cash to fence out rivals, for example, by:

  • Offering incentives to app vendors to launch first on Google Play, or to be exclusive to Google Play;
  • Offering incentives to app vendors to avoid rival app stores;
  • Offering incentives to hardware makers to pre-install Google Play;
  • Offering incentives to hardware makers not to install rival app stores.
  • Cethin@lemmy.zipEnglish
    12·
    21 hours ago

    Ah, OK. I don’t think I ever heard about that resolving, or if I did I didn’t care. That’s good that they were forced to allow that. It should probably go further still, like this Google case.

    • TheGrandNagus@lemmy.worldEnglish
      21·
      13 hours ago

      The point is, it can’t go further like in this Google case, because Google is abusing their dominant market position and Apple isn’t.

      Google is doing something illegal. Apple is doing something legal, but anti-consumer.

      That’s why I said in order to go after Apple, the US would first need something akin to the EU’s Digital Markets Act.

      • Cethin@lemmy.zipEnglish
        1·
        6 hours ago

        It could absolutely be argued Apple is definitely doing illegal stuff too. Just because you don’t think so doesn’t mean that’s true. Apple is doing a lot of things to lock consumers onto their platform and not allowing competition.

        • TheGrandNagus@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          14 minutes ago

          Not me. Me and the courts. Against what you think.

          They’ve literally been to court over this and won, because what they’re doing is completely legal. Even Epic acknowledged their case was shaky in regards to Apple.

          Apple is doing a lot of things to lock consumers onto their platform and not allowing competition.

          Nothing in an illegal way, they mostly just make it a slight inconvenience to leave. Again, not illegal. Which is why I advocated making it so.

          Why don’t you want laws that will hold Apple and others more accountable?