France: Paris Commercial Court issues fine of EUR 2 million to Google for abusive trade practices

On 29 March 2022, the Commercial Court of Paris issued a fine of EUR 2 million to Google for abusive trade practices against software developers on the Google Play store, although the judgement is not publicly available. Google has received three months to update seven clauses from its contracts that include a 30% commission on revenues generated by developers on Google’s Play store. Some of the aforementioned clauses also allow Google to unilaterally terminate or modify its contracts. The inquiry was initiated in 2018 through action taken by the French Ministry of Finance after Google and Apple made pricing and contract changes for app software developers.