If successful, the US technology company will have to pay up to $ 1.3 billion in damages to its British consumers, which Google is responding to a UK class action lawsuit equivalent to $ 6.6 billion.
The move was proposed by London-based consumer rights activist Liz Cole and has taken on the character of collective protection of rights (class action), extending its benefits to approximately 19.5 million Android users in the UK. According to the complaint, Google charges consumers “unfairly and excessively” for digital purchases on its Play Store.
The Coalition of 37 State Attorney Generals proposed within a month of filing a lawsuit against Maudain View that the current lawsuit is being overcharged on the Play Store. As the “protector of many digital services”, the author argues that Google cannot abuse this position, overloading the average consumer.
British complaints on Google
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The main reason for the demand is the illegality of the 30% surcharge that the Play Store applies to digital purchases. This percentage, used for the amount transferred to app developers, is “not related to the cost of providing the services,” Cole says.
He acknowledges that Google has done a great job in opening up access to smartphone benefits to everyone who uses the Android system. But Cole says, “While this is an open system that offers options, Google is crushing competition and” trapping “consumers in its App Store and its bizarre pricing system.
In response, a Google spokesperson said in a statement, “97% of developers on Google Play pay no service fees, meaning their apps are free to consumers.”
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