Delaware joins a group of states suing Google.
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings’ office announced the lawsuit Thursday.
It alleges the tech giant is violating federal and state antitrust laws by restricting competition with its Google Play store.
The lawsuit says by requiring app developers through contract to use Google Billing when offering an app through the Google Play Store, Google automatically adds a 30 percent commission to itself for all in-app purchases.
The lawsuit alleges this arrangement reneges on an earlier promise from Google to keep its Android OS an “open source” platform allowing for competition that would drive down prices.
In a statement, Jennings called Google a “goliath that uses a flat-out predatory business strategy to ensure that nobody can challenge its dominance of the tech space.”
The lawsuit accuses Google of a list of exclusionary practices including discouraging third party app developers through technical barriers, buying off competition and requiring that its apps be preloaded on all devices it contracts with.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday night and includes more than 30 other states.
