News the Terms of Play Store Settlement Between US States and Google Revealed --

Google will offer $700 million for several Play Store changes.

The terms of the antitrust settlement between U.S. states and Google were revealed on Monday, 18 December. It includes the creation of a massive fund to help customers and payouts to states along with Play Store changes to increase the options available to consumers and app developers.

There are those who believe the changes proposed and the penalties do not suffice. A recent article from The Verge describes the Google adjustments to its store's app in terms of "tiny" and some of the concessions offered by Google as "exceedingly tiny."

The Settlement

Reuters says that the settlement worth $700 million comprises 600 million that will go to an investment fund for the poor and consumers. The other $70 million goes to the trust fund that will be utilized by the states. This lawsuit was brought through California, North Carolina, New York, Tennessee and Utah and all 50 states, and those in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico as well as Puerto Rico, as well as Puerto Rico, as well as the Virgin Islands are involved in the settlement.

According to The Associated Press, the settlement is applicable to up to 102 million U.S. consumers who purchased Play Store in-app purchases from the 16th of august. 16th of August 2016 to Sept. 30th of 2023.

Google claims it will simplify the process of users being able to download applications directly from the developer, and it'll expand the ways the app and game developers can offer different payment options for customers who want to purchase In-App purchases, Reuters reports.

Google has issued an announcement about the settlement that was reached with Google's VP for Government Affairs & Public Policy Wilson White. In regards to when modifications could take place the announcement ends with "These modifications will come into effect once the Court has formally approved the agreement."

The agreement was reached in September, but per Reuters the settlement wasn't made public due to the related court case between Google as well as Epic Games.

CNN adds that, while the US had planned to be involved with Epic Games in litigating the issue against Google however, the states agreed to settle the matter together with Google before resigning out in the court. Epic continues to move forward in its determination to impose more penalties on Google.

Epic Games released a statement about the settlement by Epic's Vice President of Public Policy Corie Wright, calling Google's User Choice Billing system "deceptively-labeled" and arguing that "the States' settlement does not address the core of Google's unlawful and anticompetitive behavior. The next stage of the suit, Epic will be seeking meaningful resolutions to truly open up the Android ecosystem so that both developers and users gain the benefits of competition that U.S. antitrust laws were intended to foster."

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