Google chief executive Sundar Pichai took the witness stand on Tuesday for the second time in a month, testifying in a trial over whether the company uses its popular app store to stifle competition and extract excessive fees.
Epic Games, the maker of the popular Fortnite game, has argued in its lawsuit that Google has set up a thicket of contractual and technical restrictions around its Android operating system that effectively made its Play Store the only channel where users can buy apps. The trial began last week and is expected to head to a jury in mid-December.
Google’s Android is the most widely used mobile operating system in the world, eclipsing Apple’s iOS. Epic claims Google struck restrictive deals with smartphone makers and mobile networks to ensure no serious rivals to its own store emerged.