WASHINGTON, January 14, 2025. (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hausfeld is working with South Korean law firm WeThePeople to advocate for fair treatment of Korean game companies in the pending antitrust lawsuit between Epic Games and Google. The firm filed an amicus brief urging the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to apply the ban imposed on Google equally to international game companies, including Korean developers.
The case, which has attracted worldwide attention, centers on Google’s alleged violation of antitrust laws through an anti-competitive payment policy applied to apps downloaded through the Google Play Android Store. In October 2024, Judge James Donato of the US District Court for the Northern District of California issued an injunction against Google after a jury ruled that Google violated antitrust laws by barring the company from requiring app developers to use its own payment system. However, the scope of the ban was limited to US app developers, leaving international companies subject to Google’s restrictive policies.
Hausfeld and WeThePeople argue that this exemption unfairly disadvantages Korean gaming companies that operate on the same contractual basis governed by US law. In their brief submitted on January 8, 2025, they argue that international principles of justice require the universal application of the ban to all affected parties, regardless of their geographic location.
“Equal application of laws is important”
Lee Young Kee, lead legal counsel for WeThePeople, emphasized: “Google’s appeal seeks to limit the injunction to the immediate plaintiffs, but this approach ignores the broader implications for other game developers working under identical contracts. Our argument is simple: the same law should apply equally to all parties, regardless of nationality.”
Partner Hausfeld Chris Lebsock added: “This case is about fairness and ensuring that multinational corporations like Google cannot use jurisdictional boundaries to perpetuate unfair practices. The US court has an opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to global antitrust principles by extending protection to all affected developers.”
Korean developers demand a level playing field
The briefing highlights the inherent unfairness of excluding Korean developers from the protections afforded their American counterparts. It notes that the contracts between Google and the Korean companies clearly subject the dispute to US law, a fact that further justifies the application of the ban.
