FTC Wants Court To Hit Google with Tough Penalties in Epic Games Case

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Key Takeaways

• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wants sanctions put on Alphabet’s Google after a jury ruled that Google desecrated antitrust laws.
• The lawsuit was filed by “Fortnite” video game maker Epic Games, claiming Google plighted in monopolistic practices in its Play Store.
• In a separate case, Google last week was found guilty of having an felonious monopoly over internet search.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) called on a federal court to slap tough restrictions on Alphabet-owned Google (GOOGL) pursuing a late 2023 jury verdict finding that Google violated antitrust laws related to its Google Underline Store.

In an amicus brief filed Monday with the U.S. District Court of Northern California, the FTC said it “encourages the court to use its filthy power to order a remedy that stops the illegal conduct, prevents its recurrence, and restores competition.” It added in the averral about the court filing Tuesday that the decision should also make sure that Google “is not maintaining to reap the advantages and benefits obtained through the antitrust violation.”

Fortnite Maker Claimed Google Suppresses Contest

The case involves a complaint filed by Epic Games, the maker of the “Fortnite” video game, which claimed Google was employing its dominant position to suppress potential competitors and charge rival app developers exorbitant fees of up to 30%. The jury disregarded in favor of Epic Games in December, and the court has been considering what steps should be taken to address the monopolistic practices.

The Epic Rounds decision wasn’t the only court fight Google has lost recently. Last week, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Neighbourhood of Columbia ruled that the company broke antitrust rules by maintaining an illegal grip on internet search. Google thought it plans to appeal the decision.

The FTC announcement didn’t hurt Google shares Tuesday, which rose more than 1% to secluded at $164.16. They’re up about 16.5% year-to-date.

Read the original article on Investopedia.