Google has agreed to pay US$700m and to allow for greater competition in its Play app store, according to the terms of an antitrust settlement with US states and consumers disclosed in a San Francisco federal court.

Google was accused of overcharging consumers through unlawful restrictions on the distribution of apps on Android devices and unnecessary fees for in-app transactions. It did not admit wrongdoing.

The company will pay $630m into a settlement fund for consumers and $70m into a fund that will be used by states, according to the settlement, which still requires a judge’s final approval.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      To be slightly more accurate, that jar should be shown next to 100,000 other full spare change jars, surrounded by tons of change that fell out of the change jars because the change jars were too full, 500 floors below the giant Scrooge McDuck moneybin with a rocket pad on top that Jeff Bezos swims around in.

      But I suppose that would be hard to sum up in one image.

  • ArbiterXero@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Unless they force them to break apart, the behaviour will continue because 700M is chump change to them

  • PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee
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    9 months ago

    I normally don’t like the concept behind mandatory minimum but I feel like here it’s pretty clearly needed, the government shouldn’t be allowed to rule for or accept a settlement for anything less than 1.5X the additional revenue brought in by the impeachable practice.

    You should not be able to turn net profit on being prosecuted for illegal practices.

  • Alien Nathan Edward@lemm.ee
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    9 months ago

    The company will pay $630m into a settlement fund for consumers

    Congrats to that law office and their $629,999,999 in billing this year. I look forward to my $2 credit in the play store.