Google's response came a day after Match filed a lawsuit in
federal court in San Francisco accusing the tech titan of abusing control of
the Play Store that sells digital content for Android-powered phones.
"This is just a continuation of Match Group's self-interested
campaign to avoid paying for the significant value they receive from the mobile
platforms they've built their business on," a Google spokesperson told
AFP.
The litigation comes as part of an ongoing battle by Match,
Epic Games and others to force Google parent Alphabet and iPhone maker Apple to
loosen their grips on their respective app stores.
Match's filing came after Google modified Play Store rules
to require its family of apps to use the Internet giant's payment system, which
collects fees of up to 30 percent on transactions, court paperwork said.
Google has made it clear that it will remove Match apps from
the Play Store if they do not comply with the rule, Match said in the filing,
which described such punishment as a "death knell."
"This is a case about the strategic manipulation of
markets, broken promises, and abuse of power," Match said in the suit.
Google countered that Match is free to make its apps
available elsewhere online, including on its own website.
While the App Store is the only gateway for content to get
onto Apple mobile devices, users of Android-powered smartphones or tablets can
download apps at their own risk from online venues other than Google's Play
Store.
Match's lawsuit contends that despite having options, users get
content for Android devices from the Play Store more than 90 percent of the
time.
Match apps offered in the Play Store qualify to pay fees of
just 15 percent on subscriptions, according to the Google spokesperson.
"Like any business, we charge for our services, and
like any responsible platform, we protect users against fraud and abuse in
apps," the spokesperson said.
"Match Group is currently attracting regulator concerns
over things like deceptive subscription practices, and with this filing they
continue to put money ahead of user protection."
Match called on the court to order Google to let it sidestep
the Play Store billing system while keeping its apps on the virtual shelves.
Match — whose apps include OkCupid, PlentyofFish, and Tinder
—is also asking for unspecified monetary damages and legal fees.