The Google Play logo is displayed at Tokyo Game Show 2019 in Chiba, east Tokyo, Japan, September 12, 2019. REUTERS / Issei Kato / File Photo
Oakland, CA, 28 de Agosto (Reuters) – Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL.O) Google generated $11.2 billion in revenue from its mobile app store in 2019, according to a lawsuit published Saturday, providing a clear view of the service’s financial results for the first time.
Prosecutors in Utah and 36 other US states or territories suing Google for alleged antitrust violations with the App Store said, in the new, unamended lawsuit, that in 2019 the company generated $8.5 billion in gross profit and $7 billion in operating income, against a margin. Uptime over 62%.
The numbers include in-app sales, in-app purchases, and app store ads. Google told Reuters the data was “used to misclassify our business in an unfounded lawsuit”.
The company and the defendants said in a separate lawsuit on Saturday that a ruling in late 2022 is possible over whether Google is violating its alleged monopoly on Android app sales.
In its quarterly financial disclosures, Google combines revenue from the Play app and revenue from other services and calculates store ad revenue as part of another, broader category.
The promoters, along with mobile app developer Epic Games and others who have separately sued Google, said they are making huge profits through the Play Store by charging a 30% fee on every digital product sold in the app. Prosecutors say Google’s cuts are arbitrarily high, stealing profits from app developers.
Google argues that there are alternatives to the Google Store and payment systems, although critics say these methods are useless and have sometimes been banned.
The plaintiffs allege that Google, through anti-competitive agreements, expanded benefits and placed restrictions on major developers like League of Legends’ Riot Games to prevent them from leaving the Play Store.
A report by Epic Games this month revealed that Google, according to internal documents, fears losing $1.1 billion in annual App Store revenue if the Play Store is successfully bypassed. See more information
Parrish Dave reports. Edited by Margherita Choi and Andrea Ricci
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George Orwell is a writer and contributor covering politics, society, culture, and current affairs. His work focuses on providing clear analysis and thoughtful commentary on the issues shaping modern Britain and the wider world, helping readers better understand complex topics.
