Mass. sues Google over alleged monopoly

Photo | State House News Service Attorney General Maura Healey

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Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced on Wednesday her office is joining 37 other attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against Google over its alleged monopoly conduct as it relates to its Google Play Store for Android.

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in the Northern District of California San Francisco Division.

The suit, per Healey’s office, alleges Google violated the federal Sherman Antitrust Act and other state antitrust and consumer protection laws by shutting out competing app distribution channels. Additionally, the suit alleges that Google requires developers using its store to use Google Billing, forcing them to pay exorbitant fees of up to 30% on in-app purchases made by consumers.

“We are filing this lawsuit today to end Google’s web of restrictive contracts that have unlawfully inflated the cost of many digital goods, services, upgrades or other purchases made through apps downloaded from the Google Play Store,” Healey said in a statement. “This lawsuit seeks to protect both consumers and innovative app developers from these unlawful practices.”

The suit claims Google did not keep its promise to keep Android an open source platform and instead implemented contractual restraints that disincentivized and restricted mobile device makers and networks working within what it called the Android ecosystem from competing in the market.

Per Healey’s office, more than 90% of Android app downloads take place through the Google Play Store.

Healey is joined by attorneys general in Utah, New York, Tennessee, and North Carolina, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington D.C., Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.