Google to pay £260 million to settle UK app developer lawsuit

Alphabet Inc. has agreed to a £260 million ($354 million) settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit in the United Kingdom. The lawsuit, led by competition law professor Barry Rodger, accused Google of abusing its market dominance by charging excessive commissions through the Play Store.

Under the terms of the preliminary agreement, £160 million will be distributed among UK-based app developers who sold digital content via the Play Store between August 2018 and July 2026. An additional £100 million is designated to cover litigation costs and third-party funding.

The settlement is described as the largest to date under the UK’s 2015 class action regime for competition claims. While the agreement provides compensation for developers who may have lacked the resources to challenge a major tech firm independently, Google has not admitted to any legal liability or wrongdoing, maintaining that it has strong defenses against the claims.