Online Safety
Tag: Legal
Google Trial
Google faces £1bn Play Store commission trial in the UK
Hot Five
Hot Five: AppLovin’s legal action against Unity, the EU Kids Act, and SpecialEffect’s One Special Day
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Legal Proceedings
Roblox loses bid to halt Los Angeles County child safety lawsuit
The county alleges Roblox failed to adequately protect children from sexual exploitation
Hot Five
Hot Five: Sega confirms Crazy Taxi Netflix film, Google Play’s £260m UK settlement, and Brawl Stars and Duolingo launch crossover
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Settlement Reached
Competition Appeal Tribunal approves £260m Google Play settlement with UK app developers
The search giant has made no admission of liability or wrongdoing
Apple Troubles
UK legal claim seeks £2bn from Apple over App Tracking Transparency
The claim alleges Apple imposed stricter ATT requirements on third-party developers than on its own services
Legal Proceedings
Israeli court rejects Papaya Gaming debt plan to repay Skillz
The court wants Papaya to add funding beyond operating profits to its repayment plan
Epic Vs Apple
Apple proposes 15% US link-out fee as it seeks settlement talks with Epic Games
Epic has roughly 60 days to file its opposition
Legal Proceedings
Court orders Papaya Gaming to pay Skillz $719m in false advertising case
The judgment replaces the $420m in damages award issued by a jury in April
Mergers & Acquisitions
Judge temporarily halts Paramount-Warner Bros. merger over antitrust concerns
Preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled for August 3rd
Podcast | Episode 98
Epic and Google withdraw their US settlement and Pokémon Go revenue skyrockets | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 98...
Epic Vs Google
Google and Epic withdraw settlement as Play Store overhaul moves ahead
Google Play will begin carrying rival app stores in the US from July 22nd
Regulations
US Supreme Court allows Texas app store age verification law to take effect
Apple and Google are among the companies challenging the legislation
Google Loses
Google loses appeal against $4.7 billion Android antitrust fine
Regulators found Google used Android agreements to block rivals
Industry Outlook
ESA warns California games bill would burden developers and players
“This bill may sound consumer-friendly, but it ultimately hurts both players and creators”
Policy Change
ESA warns No Fakes Act could create legal uncertainty for the video game industry
The trade body argues that the legislation does not distinguish between harmful deepfakes and legitimate video game characters
Preserving Games
California State Assembly passes landmark game preservation bill
The bill next needs to go through the California State Senate
Settlement
Microsoft agrees $250m settlement in Activision Blizzard deal lawsuit
Both parties deny any and all allegations of fault, liability, wrongdoing or damages
Epic Conclusion?
Epic's final battle approaches
After years of legal battles, the Fortnite developer is nearing the end of a journey that has come with a high cost
Fortnite Freedom
Fortnite returns globally on the App Store, with one exception
Epic Games has yet to bring Fortnite back to the App Store in Australia
Apple Troubles
US Appeals Court reverses Apple's stay of mandate in Epic Games case
Epic Games calls ruling the end of Apple’s delay tactics
Legal Proceedings
Papaya Gaming ordered to pay $420m in landmark false advertising verdict
Verdict marks largest Lanham Act award in history
Podcast | Episode 88
Unity copies the AppLovin playbook with Vector | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 88...
All-in
Direct-to-consumer sales hit record levels again in Q4
Mobile games publishers continue to go all-in on D2C amid regulatory and court-led upheaval
Apple Troubles
Ninth Circuit denies Apple rehearing request in Epic Games App Store dispute
The decision reinforces requirements for Apple to allow developers to direct users to alternative payment methods
Finding Fortnite
Fortnite is back on the Google Play Store today
Epic’s flagship returns after more than 5.5 years
Trump's Tariffs
Nintendo is suing the US government over Trump’s tariffs
Nintendo’s net profit were up 51% with the Switch 2’s release, but may have seen even greater growth without tariffs in the US
New Partnerships
Court reveals secret $800m deal between Google and Epic Games amid antitrust case
The deal was revealed during a court hearing in San Francisco, with a judge questioning its impact on Epic’s legal demands
Podcast | Episode 79
Pocket Gamer Connects London preview | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 79...
Court Intervention
US federal judge blocks Texas law requiring app stores to verify users’ ages
The ruling prevents the Texas App Store Accountability Act from taking effect on January 1st
Apple Troubles
Italy fines Apple $116m over App Store privacy rules
The iPhone maker abused its dominant App Store position by imposing disproportionate privacy rules on third-party developers
Settlement Reached
Sony and Tencent reach confidential settlement over Light of Motiram
The agreement brings an early close to Sony’s lawsuit alleging the game was a clone of the Horizon series
Legal Win
Apple secures partial appeals court win in Epic Games App Store case to retain reasonable commission
Apple may now seek a reasonable commission on off-platform purchases instead of facing a total ban
Podcast | Episode 72
Why is Google policing how the world's top mobile games monetise? | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 72...
Apple Troubles
Apple denied permission to appeal a ruling that it abused its market dominance
The company now faces a potential payout exceeding £1bn as regulatory pressure intensifies
Agreement Reached
Konami and Cygames reach settlement over Umamusume patent dispute
The agreement resolves both the lawsuit and Konami’s patent invalidation claims
New Era
An Epic deal for Google?
Epic and Google propose new rules for how you monetise your games
Major Shift
Google Play injunction can "transform Android game economics"
Tech giant forced to allow alternative payment systems in the US until 2027 under court ruling in Epic Games case
Cracked Open
US Google Play store opens up to alternative payments in boost for DTC
Injunction will run until November 1st, 2027
Apple Troubles
Apple faces up to $2bn damages after UK court rules against its App Store practices
Case represents millions of iPhone and iPad users in the UK
Podcast | Episode 69
The big AWS crash and Google delays Android regulation | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 69...
Deadline Extension
US judge grants Google one-week extension to comply with Epic Games injunction
Both Google and Epic jointly requested the deadline extension from October 22nd to 29th, 2025
Legal Proceedings
Sony opposes Tencent's legal defence over alleged Horizon inspired game lawsuit
The company called Tencent’s defence “nonsense,” saying the damage from copying Horizon has already been done
Wake-up Call
Ilkka's wake-up call for the games industry
It's time for the industry to take action rather than sit around and wait
Week In Views
Global regulation hits games and tech | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Age Verification
Texas enforces new age verification law for app stores and developers
Developers must update their apps to meet the new compliance requirements
Brazil Ban
Brazil bans loot boxes for under 18s in online child safety measure
The law will come into play starting March 2026
Clampdown
Trump imposes a $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visa applications
US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick claims big companies are on board with the plan despite millions of dollars in extra costs
Online Safety
US Congress calls on Twitch, Steam, Reddit, and Discord CEOs to testify on online radicalisation
The hearing is scheduled for October 8th 2025