RALEIGH – North Carolina is among a group of states planning to file an antitrust suit against Google over its Play Store app store practices, sources say.

Reuters broke the story late Tuesday.

The suit is likely to be similar to an antitrust suit filed by Cary-based Epic Games against tech giant Apple over procedures and requirements at its App Store, Reuters noted. The Google action is expected to be filed as soon as next week in a federal court in norhtern California.

“The investigation by the state attorneys general is being led by Utah, Tennessee, North Carolina and New York. It is unclear how many states will participate,” Reuters said.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein was among numerous state attorneys general who have already sued Google for alleged anticompetitive behavior. That case was filed in December.

Asked about a new suit, a spokesperson for Stein said the office had no information to share.

“[R]egarding the lawsuit AG Stein filed in December, that case is ongoing and our office is preparing for trial. I don’t have anything else for you on this,” the spokesperson said.

North Carolina joins 37 other states in filing anticompetitive lawsuit against Google

“The anticipated lawsuit follows complaints from app developers about Google’s management of its Play Store for Android devices, according to one source. The lawsuit has been in the works since last year and has already been delayed, but seems close again,” Reuters said, citing unnamed sources.

Reuters cited “tightened rules” and “increased enforcement of those rules” by Google as reasons for the suit.

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Google requires “some apps use the company’s payment tools to sell subscriptions and content and pay Google as much as 30% of sales,” Reuters added, citing sources.

Apple also has similar rules and fees, which triggered Epic’s suit. The judge in that case is mulling a decision. Testimony ended

A spokesperson for Google said its app store is “open.”

“Android is the only major operating system that allows people to download apps from multiple app stores. In fact, most Android devices ship with two or more app stores preinstalled. They can also install additional app stores or apps directly from their browser if they choose,” the spokesperson told Reuters.

Read the full Reuters report online.

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