Epic is closing the net around googles argument that play is more than payments

Epic v. Google: everything we learned in Fortnite court

See all Stories

Posted Nov 21, 2023 at 6:11 PM UTC

Epic is closing the net around Google’s argument that Play is more than payments.

We are looking at a line in the actual agreement between Google and Spotify where Spotify made out like a bandit compared to other Android developers. It reads:

The program fees are payable on account of Google Play’s billing system services.

Epic’s lawyer asks: what about distribution? (Google has argued that Play provides massive scale distribution, security, and many other features in exchange for the fee.)

Spotify’s Alzetta says no — Spotify is only paying Google for payment processing. There were also “some commitments with regard to product” and a “marketing success fund” as part of the deal, but that’s it.

Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.