Alphabet Agrees to £260 Million UK Play Store Settlement

Alphabet Inc. agreed to pay £260 million ($354 million) to settle a class action lawsuit brought by app developers in the United Kingdom. The legal action, led by competition law professor Barry Rodger, alleged that the company abused its market dominance by imposing excessive and unfair commissions on transactions conducted through the Google Play Store.

This agreement marks the largest settlement of its kind under the UK competition claims regime established in 2015. Developers based in the UK who sold digital content via the Play Store starting in August 2018 are potentially eligible for compensation.

The Competition Appeal Tribunal is scheduled to review and consider approving the settlement during a hearing in September. While this specific claim is being resolved, a separate class action involving millions of Android phone users in the UK remains pending.