Epic Games wins major court battle against Google

Epic Games has won a major US court case against search engine giant Google, where it accused it of wielding illegal monopoly power through its Android app store.

CEO Tim Sweeney announced the court ruling on social media, describing it as "victory over Google."

Epic Games is the creator of the popular Fortnite video game.

What is the Epic Games vs. Google case?

The case was presented to a California jury, which examined it during four weeks of court testimony, Sweeney said.

Monday's verdict came after just three hours of deliberations. 

The case was filed three years ago. Epic alleged that Google had been abusing its power to shield its Play Store, Google's main app store, from competition in order to protect a gold mine that makes billions of dollars annually. 

Google collects between 15% to 30% in commission on digital transactions completed within the apps. The practice is similarly adopted by competitor Apple, which won a similar case against Epic, though the ruling is now under appeal at the US Supreme Court.

What happens next?

US District Judge James Donato will have to decide which steps Google needs to take to rectify its illegal behavior in its app store.

Wilson White, Google's vice president of government affairs and public policy, said the search engine giant plans to appeal the verdict.

"Android and Google Play provide more choice and openness than any other major mobile platform," the Associated Press news agency quoted White as saying.

rmt/rt (AFP, AP, Reuters)