£260 million settlement with Google approved by Tribunal in historic ruling for UK class action regime

• The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has approved a £260 million settlement for UK app developers.

• It is the largest pay-out for members of a collective action ever approved by the Tribunal.

• Almost two thirds of the settlement is earmarked to compensate several thousand UK businesses for the commissions they paid on Play Store transactions. Eligible developers can register now to be notified when they can claim.

London, 16 September 2026: Today, the Competition Appeal Tribunal has approved the £260 million settlement secured by Professor Barry Rodger in his opt-out collective action against Google, brought on behalf of thousands of UK app developers.

A £160 million fund will go directly to compensating eligible developers, including sole traders and SMEs. This is the largest pay-out for a class the Tribunal has ever approved, following its finding that the settlement is just and reasonable, and in the interests of the class.

The amount each affected developer receives will depend on their qualifying sales on the Play Store during the relevant period.

UK app developers are encouraged to register on the claim’s website www.googleplaystoredeveloperclaim.com to be notified as soon as the claims process opens. There is no cost involved to receive compensation.

The settlement resolves a legal action brought by leading competition law academic Professor Barry Rodger under the UK’s collective action regime. It alleged that Google abused its dominant position to the detriment of UK businesses that sold apps on the Play Store (or “Google Play”) to Android customers. The claim sought compensation for the losses those businesses suffered from August 2018 onwards.

The UK’s collective action regime was introduced in 2015 to provide a route for consumers and businesses who could not realistically litigate alone to seek redress.

Professor Rodger commented: “This is a historic outcome for thousands of UK app developers and for the UK’s collective action regime. I’ve dedicated my career to studying how the largest companies affect those that depend on them, so ensuring compensation for affected businesses through a successful settlement to this claim means a great deal to me. This pay-out will benefit developers of every size, from individuals and start-ups to established companies, who sold apps or digital content through the Google Play Store.

With the Tribunal’s approval, we are a step closer to getting money back to affected businesses. I encourage all eligible developers to register on the claim website, so they can claim when the compensation process begins.”

Damien Geradin, founding partner of Geradin Partners, said: “The CAT’s approval judgment handed down today confirms that the settlement Prof Rodger secured is in the interests of thousands of UK businesses. It is the largest sum the Tribunal has ever approved for distribution to a class. Delivering a pay-out of this scale for class members, and seeing it endorsed by the Tribunal, is a first since the UK collective proceedings regime was introduced in 2015, and Geradin Partners is proud to have acted for Prof Rodger in reaching this historic achievement.”

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Contact: klara.iochem@gmail.com ; +44 7380 333221

About Professor Barry Rodger: Professor Barry Rodger has been an academic at Strathclyde University Law School since 1993 where he focuses on teaching and researching EU and UK competition law. His work focuses on showing how big business can damage a competitive economy by excluding competitors and charging unfair and excessive prices to consumers and smaller businesses which are dependent upon it, and in particular on analysing the legal rules necessary to ensure adequate redress for those harmed by anti-competitive market behaviour.

About Geradin Partners: Professor Rodger has instructed the law firm Geradin Partners to represent him in his class action in the CAT. Geradin Partners is a leading pan-European law firm specialising in competition law and digital markets, with extensive experience in collective action claims before the CAT. More information about Geradin Partners can be found at: www.geradinpartners.com.

Class members: Who is eligible 

UK domiciled third-party app developers that sold digital content through apps distributed from the Play Store from August 2018 are automatically included in the class and potentially eligible for compensation if they do not actively opt out of the claim.