Google is fighting a £1 billion consumer lawsuit in London over claims it abused its dominance to levy excessive commissions on app developers through the Play Store, in the latest major case brought in Britain against Big Tech.
The trial opened this week at London's Competition Appeal Tribunal. The claim, brought on behalf of around 20 million consumers who bought apps through the Play Store or paid for in-app purchases and subscriptions between 2015 and July this year, is led by consumer advocate Liz Coll. Her lawyers argue Google used its dominant position to charge commissions of up to 30 percent on app purchases and in-app payments, and that developers passed those costs on to consumers.
Google's parent company Alphabet is contesting the case. A spokesperson said the claim ignored the degree of choice the Android platform gives consumers and that it charged some of the lowest fees in the market. Google's lawyers argued the case was unfounded and said the Play Store faced strong competitive constraints from Apple's App Store and other alternative platforms.
The case follows similar actions against Apple and Sony over their App Store and PlayStation Store, both of which also cited commissions of up to 30 percent. It also comes after years of regulatory scrutiny and litigation over Google's app store practices, including a long-running battle with Fortnite maker Epic Games, whose own London lawsuit was due to be heard alongside Coll's claim.
The £1 billion figure reflects the scale of the class: with 20 million consumers covered over an eleven-year period, even small per-transaction overcharges aggregate into enormous sums. Coll's legal team cited examples including Google's sale of YouTube Premium through Apple's App Store, where Google passed on the commission it was charged, as evidence of how the fees flowed through to end users.
The trial is expected to last several weeks and will examine the economics of app distribution, the reality of competition between platforms and whether Google's commission structure can be justified. A ruling against Google could open the door to damages for millions of UK consumers and add momentum to the global push by regulators and courts to rein in app store fees.
For Big Tech, Britain's courts have become an increasingly active front. With collective action regimes maturing and litigation funders backing large claims, the Google case may be a template for further mass actions against dominant digital platforms. The eleven-year class period, from 2015 to July this year, covers tens of millions of app purchases and subscriptions, and the outcome could reshape how platform fees are set across the industry.