Mississippi joins 36-state lawsuit to take down big tech giant Google

Attorneys general for 36 states, including Mississippi, and the District of Columbia have filed an antitrust lawsuit targeting Google’s Play store.  The suit is the fourth major antitrust lawsuit filed against Google since last October.

Many allegations raised the in 144-page suit echo those that were made by Epic Games, maker of Fortnite and other mobile games, when they brought cases against Google and Apple last year.  Like Epic, the attorneys general focus on the control that Google exerts on its app store, allowing the tech giant to collect commissions on transactions within apps on smartphones running on Android, which are about 80% of the worldwide smartphone market.

While Google’s app commissions are similar to Apple’s, Google sets itself apart by allowing Android users to download apps from places other than the Play Store.  Apple, on the other hand, does not allow iPhone users to install apps from any source other than its store.

The attorneys general go on to allege that Google has set up anticompetitive barriers to distribute over 90% of the apps on Android devices, many of which are native to the devices – a market share that represents an illegal monopoly.  Furthermore, the suit contends that Google’s take of commissions forces higher prices on consumers and drives down innovation in app developers.

“This is a business-friendly office, but when companies use unfair business practices that harm consumers, we will step in to protect Mississippians. Google used its position of dominance to restrict competition, suppress
innovation, and limit consumer choice,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “I joined this lawsuit to protect Mississippi consumers in pursuit of fair competition, innovation, and consumer freedom.”