Google app fees lawsuit approved by UK court

The Competition Appeal Tribunal (‘CAT’) has made an order certifying a £1 billion legal claim against Google on behalf of UK app developers that have allegedly been overcharged by Google for using its Play Store. The case can now proceed to trial, with thousands of businesses poised to receive compensation for the loss in revenue suffered as a result of Google’s alleged conduct if the claim is successful.

The decision is the latest in a series of setbacks for the tech giant and follows significant scrutiny of its Play Store conduct around the world, including by the European Commission, the UK’s competition watchdog and the US courts.

Google app fees lawsuit approved by UK court as $1.33 billion case moves to trial

The legal claim, brought by leading competition law academic Professor Barry Rodger, accuses Google of abusing its dominant position to the detriment of thousands of UK businesses who sold apps on the Play Store (or ‘Google Play’) to Android customers. The lawsuit seeks compensation for the losses in revenue suffered by those businesses, many of whom are SMEs, from August 2018 onwards.

The CAT has now published a collective proceedings order, confirming its decision to certify the claim, authorising Professor Rodger to act as the class representative and permitting the claim to proceed to trial. The trial is set to commence in October 2026.

Professor Barry Rodger commented: "The Tribunal’s decision is a significant step towards ensuring redress for small businesses in the UK that have lost money through Google’s conduct. Google abuses its Play Store monopoly by imposing excessive commissions, harming small business app developers and stifling crucial innovation and growth in the UK tech landscape."

$1.33 billion legal action against Google can proceed to trial, court rules

• Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) makes order approving billion-pound class action against Google to proceed to trial.
• Claim alleges Google has abused its dominant position by excluding competition in app distribution and by charging excessive commissions to thousands of UK app developers, who have no choice but to use Google’s Play Store.
• Legal action led by competition law academic Professor Barry Rodger seeks estimated £1 billion in compensation for revenue loss suffered by thousands of businesses, many of which are SMEs.
• Court ruling piles the pressure on Google, as its Play Store conduct continues to be investigated and subject to legal actions in the UK, EU and the US.
   

Google’s market dominance and how it punishes UK app developers

UK app developers have little choice other than to use the Google Play Store if they want to reach their customers on Android devices. Professor Rodger alleges that this is due to Google using a variety of technical and contractual restrictions to ensure that Google’s Play Store is the only place where UK app developers can market or sell apps designed for Android devices.

Google has then used its dominant position to require developers to pay excessive and unfair commissions (of up to 30%) on all their sales of digital content to customers. Professor Rodger claims that, in a fair market, app developers would be paying less to distribute their apps and sell their digital content.

Google Play Store’s dominance has hurt small businesses and the UK economy at large

While Google is breaking its own financial records, more businesses in the UK are closing down than starting up for the first time in a decade. The operating environment for SMEs is incredibly tough and the app distribution commissions paid by businesses to Google has ultimately stifled economic growth and innovation as recently found in a May 2025 report by the Institute of Public Policy Research.

Court and regulatory proceedings investigations against Google for its Play Store conduct

Google’s dominance and anticompetitive practices in the app distribution market have been recognised and continue to be investigated in multiple jurisdictions, including in the US, EU, and UK. To take a few recent examples:

• EU: The European Commission (EC) is currently investigating Google's Play Store for potential violations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). In March 2025, the EC published its preliminary finding that Google failed to comply with the DMA with respect to its Play Store commission charges.
• United Kingdom: The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority is currently investigating whether to designate Google as having Strategic Market Status (SMS) within its mobile ecosystem, including its app distribution services. In March 2025, the CMA held a workshop with app developers, with multiple participants stating that Google had an “unfair advantage in app development innovation”.
• United States: In October 2024, a US federal judge ordered Google to open up the Google Play store to competition as a punishment for maintaining an illegal monopoly in how it controlled the distribution of apps on its Android operating system. In June 2025, two Korean publishing groups and a Korean app developer filed a lawsuit against Google in the US, accusing it of illegally monopolizing Android app distribution and causing them to pay overcharges.