Google will pay £260m to settle a UK class action over Play Store fees
Google has agreed to pay £260m to settle a UK class action over Play Store fees, ending a case that was due to go to trial next month.Summary
Google has agreed to pay £260m to settle a class action brought on behalf of UK app developers, ending a case that was due to go to trial next month. The deal is worth about $353m, according to Reuters. Lawyers had previously valued the claim at just over £1bn. The case, brought by Barry Rodger, a competition law academic, alleged that Google abused its dominant position by preventing developers from distributing apps by other routes and charging an unfair commission, usually 30%. The settlement needs approval from London’s Competition Appeal Tribunal, which will consider it at a hearing in September. Google made no admission of liability or wrongdoing. The £260m splits in two: £160m goes to developers who sold an app on the Play Store between August 2018 and July 2026, and the remaining £100m covers the costs of bringing and funding the lawsuit. This is the fourth such action against a major tech company since the start of 2025. The settlement does not touch the commission itself, and Britain’s competition regulator is working on that from another direction.
(Source：TNW)