Epic Is Suing Google (Again) And Now Samsung For “Coordinated Efforts To Block Competition”

Once again, Epic is suing Google, and yes, it’s (kind of) over the same old thing. The last time the companies had a go at each other a jury ruled that Google was unlawfully operating a monopoly on its store and that Epic is allowed to launch its own store on Android devices.

Of course, Epic has been trying to take advantage of that ruling. However, according to Epic’s latest announcement, Google – along with phone manufacturer Samsung – haven’t been making that easy. The announcement states that Epic is filing a court case against the two companies “over coordinated efforts to block competition in app distribution on Samsung devices”.

Epic states that this is being done using a default-on Auto Blocker feature that “cements the Google Play Store as the only viable way to get apps on Samsung devices” as it blocks any other store. The suit goes on to allege that Samsung implemented this feature intentionally as part of a coordinated effort with Google to get around the court’s orders.

The rest of the statement goes into detail as to what Auto Blocker is and why it’s illegal – even detailing the 21 steps required for Samsung users to download an app outside of the Google Play Store or Samsung Galaxy Store. It also details a history of Google “paying OEMs billions to prevent competition”. It ends by detailing what Epic will be asking for, which is for the court to prohibit Samsung and Google from using Auto Blocker to block competition, even mandating that Samsung eliminate it by default.