Utah attorney general announces $700 million settlement in Google Play suit
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Along with a bipartisan group of 52 other attorneys general, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes announced a $700 million settlement on Tuesday in an antitrust Google Play store suit.
As part of the settlement agreement filed in federal court, Google will pay out $630 million to approximately 102 million U.S. consumers and the remaining $70 million will go to the states that participated in the suit, CNN reported. As a result, Google will also allow more competition in the Google Play store. The settlement has to still be formally approved by the court.
“The States are fiercely fighting the greed and abuses of certain big tech on multiple fronts,” Reyes said in a press release. “Utah has been a leader and driving force in holding Google accountable for the past ten years. This was evident again on this case as our fantastic AG antitrust was one of the first and loudest advocates for investigating and litigating payments on Google Play.”
Utah is expected to receive around $15 million in total across payments to Utah consumers and direct payments to the state.
“When many experts and other states were hesitant or even opposed, Utah pushed to start the case and has helped navigate it towards resolution in spite of the risk and Google’s massive defense,” Reyes’ statement continued. “We are most pleased the settlement includes many of the injunctive remedies we sought that will change Google’s behavior. The dollar amounts are an added bonus to provide relief to Utahns who use Android apps.”
Google issued a statement about the settlement, “We’re pleased to reach an agreement that builds on that foundation and we look forward to making these improvements that will help evolve Android and Google Play for the benefit of millions of developers and billions of people around the world. These proposed changes will go into effect after the Court formally approves the settlement.”
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How do I get my Google settlement money?
No claims need to be submitted to receive a payment.
“People eligible for restitution do not have to submit a claim — they will receive automatic payments through PayPal or Venmo, or they can elect to receive a check or ACH transfer,” the press release stated. “More details about that process will be forthcoming.”
The settlement will be given to users who had a legal address in their profile in the U.S., the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Those users would have to purchase an app from Google Play or made an in-app purchase through Google Play Billing from Aug. 16, 2016, to Sept. 30, 2023.
Why was Google sued?
Attorneys general from Utah, North Carolina, Tennessee, New York and California led the lawsuit against Google. They were joined by attorneys general from all other states, the District of Columbia and the territories of Puerto Rice and the Virgin Islands.
According to the press release, “The attorneys general sued Google in 2021, alleging that Google unlawfully monopolized Android app distribution and in-app payment processing.”
“Specifically, the States claimed that Google signed anticompetitive contracts to prevent other app stores from being preloaded on Android devices, bought off key app developers who might have launched rival app stores, and created technological barriers to deter consumers form directly downloading apps to their devices,” the press release stated.
