Fortnite maker Epic Games filed a lawsuit Monday accusing Google and Samsung, the world’s largest Android maker, of conspiring to block third-party competitors of the Google Play Store.
The suit, filed in federal court in California, alleges Samsung’s “Auto Blocker” feature illegally prevents users from downloading apps from places other than Google Play Store or Samsung’s Galaxy Store on Android devices, violating U.S. antitrust law.
The Auto Blocker, a default feature on Samsung devices, is marketed by the company to “protect” Samsung devices by preventing the installation of apps from “unauthorized sources and blocking malicious activity.” Users can turn the setting off during the initial setup of their devices.
The Google Play Store is used by hundreds of millions of people to download apps for smartphones that use Google’s Android software. According to the suit, only about 1 percent of Android app downloads come from the Galaxy Store, Samsung’s own app store.
“Auto Block cements the Google Play Store as the only viable way to get apps on Samsung devices, blocking every other store from competing on a level playing field,” Epic wrote in a press release.
Calling it a “coordinated illegal anticompetitive dealing,” the Fortnite creator alleged the feature harms developers and consumers, while undermining a federal jury’s decision against Google in another antitrust suit brought by Epic last year.
In that case, the jury reached a unanimous verdict last December finding that the payment system and practices of Google’s Play Store were a violation of antitrust law.
It capped off a three-year legal battle between Epic and Google after the game developing company accused Google of shielding its Play Store from competition to continue making billions in profits. Google collects a commission ranging from 15 percent to 30 percent on digital purchases within apps.
Epic claimed that case also touched upon Google’s “long history of inducing Samsung into anticompetitive dealings.”
The gaming development company is asking the court to require Samsung to eliminate the Auto Blocker by default and to issue an injunction prohibiting any anticompetitive and unfair conduct by Samsung and Google.
A spokesperson for Samsung told The Hill the company plans to “vigorously contest Epic Game’s baseless claims.”
“Contrary to Epic Game’s assertions, Samsung actively fosters market competition, enhances consumer choice, and conducts its operations fairly,” the spokesperson wrote.
“The features integrated into our devices are designed in accordance with Samsung’s core principles of security, privacy, and user control, and we remain fully committed to safeguarding users’ personal data. Users have the choice to disable Auto Blocker at any time.”
In another antitrust suit brought against Apple by Epic in 2021, a judge sided with Apple, ruling the tech giant is not an illegal monopoly, but rather has engaged in illegal anticompetitive conduct. Like Google, Apple collects a commission on payments made within apps.
The Hill reached out to Google for further comment.