Who says tech and the government can’t get along?

Lately, of course, states and tech companies have been at odds, duking it out in court antitrust filings. But one major tech company and a few crusading states have unwittingly found themselves on the same side. 

• States, meet Epic: Epic filed a lawsuit against Google in 2020 after it was kicked out of the Google Play store. Earlier this month, three dozen states filed suit against Google, too. According to Law360, that brings the total count of government-related Google lawsuits and fines to seven, including three fines from the EU. 

• But there are obvious similarities in the suits: A federal judge clearly thought so and linked Epic and the states’ cases together, according to the Verge. It’s a rare marriage between tech and the government in a year of antagonism. 

Action in the cases should pick up soon

A hearing for the consolidated states/Epic case should be held in October.

The Verdict

Epic still has its case against Apple, too. There will be no linking with the government on this one, as a judge has already heard arguments, and the verdict is pending.