On Monday, the Paris Commercial Court fined Google €2 million ($2.2 million) for anti-competitive policies in its app store.
In 2018, both Google and Apple were taken to court by France’s Ministry of Finance for abusing app developers who have listed apps in the Play Store and App Store. The ministry accused Google of a “significant imbalance in the rights and obligations” of developers, citing that Google could end or change contracts unilaterally.
Aside from the fine, the court ordered Google to change at least seven clauses in its contracts with developers dating as far back as 2015, including the 30% commission on earnings made by developers.
A Google spokesperson said that the company was disappointed with the ruling noting that the company has since reduced its commission to 15%.
“We are always looking to provide more support for developers and help them build sustainable businesses, including recently decreasing our service fees to 15% or less for 99% of developers,” a Google spokesperson said.
“We are disappointed in the decision and will review it closely.”
Google is yet to decide if it will appeal the decision.
The ruling in the case against Apple is still pending.
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SOURCE: https://reclaimthenet.org/france-fines-google-for-anti-competitive-practices/