Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, has filed a lawsuit against Google and Samsung. The company believes that the Auto Blocker feature on Samsung devices prevents the installation of alternative app stores.
Samsung introduced Auto Blocker in October 2023. This feature allows you to automatically block the installation of applications that are not distributed through the Google Play Store or Samsung Galaxy Store. Initially, users had to activate Auto Blocker on their own, but in July 2024, Samsung started enabling it by default on all its devices.
In a lawsuit filed in the Northern District of California, Epic Games is seeking an injunction against Samsung enabling Auto Blocker by default. The company also asks the court to stop «the anticompetitive and unfair behavior of» Samsung and Google. Epic Games insists on a jury trial and demands monetary damages and reimbursement of legal costs.
According to Epic Games, users with Auto Blocker enabled must go through an «extremely complex 21-step process» to download an external application such as the Epic Games Store. In comparison, Android devices without the feature require 12 steps due to numerous warnings about software from unknown sources.
Epic Games accuses Samsung of spreading false claims that its apps are unknown and dangerous. The company claims that this damages its reputation and leads to the loss of potential users and revenue.
This lawsuit is related to Epic Games’ previous case against Google, which the company won in December last year. The jury unanimously found that Google had engaged in anticompetitive behavior. Epic Games believes that the partnership between Samsung and Google undermines the jury’s decision in that case.
Source: Gamesindustry, The Verge
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