Tinder and Hinge’s parent company has . In one (Link PDF) filed in federal court in California on Monday, Match Group alleges the tech giant violated federal and state antitrust laws with its Play Store guidelines.
The lawsuit relates to a policy that Google plans to implement later this year. In the fall of 2020, the company “Its stance on in-app purchases, announced that it will eventually require all Android developers to process payments related to “digital goods and services” through the system. pay on the Play Store. Initially, Google said it would start enforcing the policy on September 30, 2021, but then The deadline is June 1, 2022.
Match alleges that Google had previously “assured” that the company could use its own payment system. The company claims Google has threatened to remove its apps from the Play Store if it doesn’t comply with the upcoming policy change by the June 1 deadline. The app updates maintain the existing payment system in its dating services. “Ten years ago, Match Group was a partner of Google. We are now its hostages,” the company said in the complaint.
“This lawsuit is a measure of last resort,” Match CEO Shar Dubey said in a statement the company shared with Engadget. “We have tried in good faith to resolve these concerns with Google, but their insistence and threats to remove our brand’s apps from the Google Play Store by June 1 prevents us from doing so. no choice but to take legal action.”
In a statement Google shared with Engadget, the search giant said Match is eligible to pay In terms of in-app purchases, the rate the company notes is the lowest among the “major app platforms.” Google also points out that Android’s “openness” allows Match to distribute its apps through alternative app stores and transshipments if the company “doesn’t want to comply” with its policies. “This is just a continuation of Match Group’s self-interested campaign to avoid paying the significant value they get from the mobile platforms on which they’ve built their business,” a Google spokesperson said. with Engadget.
The lawsuit comes at a time when both Apple and Google are facing significant regulatory pressure from lawmakers around the world to change their app store policies. In February, the Senate Judiciary Committee the . If the law becomes the law it is today, it will prevent both companies from locking third-party developers into their respective payment systems.
In March, Google announced that it was to test third-party payment systems. Notably, Match says that the pilot program offers “nothing new to developers or users”. The company also said that Google declined the request to be included in the program and will not share the criteria for inclusion in the program.
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