The Competition Appeal Tribunal (‘CAT’) has made an order certifying a £1 billion legal claim against Google on behalf of UK app developers that have allegedly been overcharged by Google for using its Play Store. The case can now proceed to trial, with thousands of businesses poised to receive compensation for the loss in revenue suffered as a result of Google’s alleged conduct if the claim is successful.
The decision is the latest in a series of setbacks for the tech giant and follows significant scrutiny of its Play Store conduct around the world, including by the European Commission, the UK’s competition watchdog and the US courts.
The legal claim, brought by leading competition law academic Professor Barry Rodger, accuses Google of abusing its dominant position to the detriment of thousands of UK businesses who sold apps on the Play Store (or ‘Google Play’) to Android customers. The lawsuit seeks compensation for the losses in revenue suffered by those businesses, many of whom are SMEs, from August 2018 onwards.
The CAT has now published a collective proceedings order, confirming its decision to certify the claim, authorising Professor Rodger to act as the class representative and permitting the claim to proceed to trial. The trial is set to commence in October 2026.
The Tribunal’s decision is a significant step towards ensuring redress for small businesses in the UK that have lost money through Google’s conduct. Google abuses its Play Store monopoly by imposing excessive commissions, harming small business app developers and stifling crucial innovation and growth in the UK tech landscape.
– Professor Barry Rodger
Google’s market dominance and how it’s claimed to punish UK app developers
UK app developers have little choice other than to use the Google Play Store if they want to reach their customers on Android devices. Professor Rodger alleges that this is due to Google using a variety of technical and contractual restrictions to ensure that Google’s Play Store is the only place where UK app developers can market or sell apps designed for Android devices.
Google has then used its dominant position to require developers to pay excessive and unfair commissions (of up to 30%) on all their sales of digital content to customers. Professor Rodger claims that, in a fair market, app developers would be paying less to distribute their apps and sell their digital content.
Google Play Store’s dominance has allegedly hurt small businesses and the UK economy at large
While Google is breaking its own financial records, more businesses in the UK are closing down than starting up for the first time in a decade. The operating environment for SMEs is incredibly tough and the app distribution commissions paid by businesses to Google has ultimately stifled economic growth and innovation as recently found in a May 2025 report by the Institute of Public Policy Research.
