Google on Tuesday rejected a lawsuit filed by the Match group, the parent company of Tinder, for monopoly of its application store and responded that it is a “self-serving” campaign that puts money before user safety.
The answer of Google It comes a day after the complaint filed by the dating application before a federal court in San Francisco, in which it accuses the search giant of abusing its dominant position in its “Play Store”, the digital content store for phones. Android.
“This is just the continuation of a self-serving campaign by the group Match to avoid paying for the significant value it receives from the mobile platforms where it has built its business,” a Google spokesperson told AFP.
The litigation comes as part of a battle initiated by Match, Epic Games and other software makers to force Google’s parent company Alphabet and Apple, the iPhone maker, to loosen their grip on their respective app stores.
Google changed the rules of its “Play Store” platform to require app makers to use its own payment system, which captures up to 30% of transactions, according to a court document.
It also said it will remove apps from the Match group if they don’t follow the new rule, according to the plaintiff group, which it describes as a “death sentence.”
“This is a case of strategic market manipulation, broken promises and abuse of power,” Match said.
Google responded that Match is free to make its applications publicly available anywhere else online, including on its own website.
While the “App Store” is the only gateway to content within Apple mobile devices, users of Android smartphones and tablets may download applications at their own risk from sources other than “Play Store” of Google.
Despite having other options, Match claims that users access content through the Play Store in 90% of cases.
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