FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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BALTIMORE, MD – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced that a $700 million settlement in a multistate antitrust lawsuit against Google has received final judicial approval. The lawsuit challenged Google’s control over Android app distribution and in-app payments. The approval of the settlement ends a five-year case and gives relief to consumers nationwide who were affected by Google's actions.
Most of the settlement funds will go directly to people who made purchases on Google Play between August 2016 and September 2023. Most recipients will not need to fill out a claim form and will receive their payments through PayPal or Venmo. If consumers do not have access to PayPal or Venmo, they can file a claim through a separate process to receive their payment.
“Marylanders were overcharged because Google blocked competition to protect its own profits,” said Attorney General Brown. “This settlement puts money back in consumers’ pockets and protects them from paying the price for Google’s unlawful actions.”
The settlement forces Google to update its business practices. For at least five years, app developers may use alternate payment systems, inform customers about lower prices outside Google’s billing system, and list their apps on competing stores without fear of retaliation. Android users can download apps from outside the Play Store for at least seven years.
In 2021, Maryland joined a bipartisan group of 52 attorneys general who sued Google for unlawfully dominating Android app distribution and for causing overcharges to consumers of up to 30% per transaction.
Additional information about the lawsuit and settlement is available on the settlement website.
Attorney General Brown joined this effort alongside the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaiʻi, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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