Google Play Store Case

In August 2024, Class Representative Professor Barry Rodger brought a standalone case against Google alleging that it had abused its dominant position in the Android App and Content Distribution market by excluding rival Android app stores and charging excessive prices to UK based Android app developers. Fideres was retained by Professor Rodger and solicitors at Geradin Partners to support Professor Amelia Fletcher in providing independent expert economic advice to the CAT. Professor Rodger’s claim was certified by the CAT in May 2025. This was a highly complex piece of litigation involving allegations of multi-faceted exclusionary and exploitative abuse of dominance and four different parties (Google, Professor Rodger’s class of Android developers, Ms. Coll’s class of Android consumers, and Epic a US based Android developer). These claims had been consolidated for trial in October 2026.

Fideres’s role

The Fideres team assisted Professor Amelia Fletcher in preparation of her reports for certification and for trial.

Fideres ran a multi-sided platform market definition analysis that included the mobile ecosystem effects and helped develop a complex theory of harm encompassing the ten plus allegations made in Professor Rodger’s claim. Both required the application of behavioural economics and its effects on consumer outcomes in digital markets. Fideres also assisted in assessing the extent to which Google’s price charged to developers was unfair as part of the United Brands analysis for excessive pricing. Finally, Fideres quantified damages to UK Android developers as a result of Google’s conduct. This included empirically quantifying the rate of pass-on from Android developers to Android consumers and the associated volume effects. Fideres also assisted Professor Fletcher in responding to reports from economists retained by other parties in the case.

In the evolving landscape of litigation in front of the CAT, Fideres also helped Professor Fletcher prepare a novel joint trial report which was subject to a page limit and superseded all other reports that she had submitted previously.

Outcome

Two weeks before trial was scheduled, the CAT has approved a settlement on behalf of UK based Android app developers worth £260million ($350 million), this represents the largest settlement ever secured in a UK collective competition action.