Alphabet Pays £260m to Settle Google Commission Fee Lawsuit

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has agreed to pay £260 million to settle a class-action lawsuit in the UK. The case alleged that Google abused its dominant position by charging excessive commission fees to app developers on the Play Store.

The settlement comes just ahead of the trial's commencement next week and still requires approval from the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT).

Claimants argued that Google imposed unfair charges of around 30% on developers who sold apps on the Play Store in the UK. They also claimed that the company restricted developers from distributing their apps on other platforms.

Lawyer Barry Rodger hailed the settlement as a 'great outcome' for app developers, stating that it would provide meaningful financial compensation to businesses that could not have taken on Google alone.