The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) this week has rejected Google’s application to vary the Collective Proceedings Order in Professor Barry Rodger v Google, refusing Google’s attempt to require certain developers with the largest claims to participate on an opt-in basis. The proceedings will therefore continue in the form previously certified, proceeding on an opt-out basis, and remain on course for trial in September 2026.
Professor Barry Rodger v. Google is a £1.04 billion opt-out collective action brought on behalf of UK app developers. The claim alleges that Google adopted a range of exclusionary practices that foreclosed competition in Android app distribution, enabling it to force developers to rely on the Google Play Store and, charge excessive and unfair commissions on app and in-app sales.
The Competition Appeal Tribunal certified the claim in 2025, enabling it to proceed toward trial as one of the UK’s most significant competition cases in the digital sector in September 2026. The Rodger claim will be heard alongside Elizabeth Helen Coll v Alphabet and others.
Bethanie Chambers acts for the class representative alongside Brick Court’s Robert O’Donoghue KC and Sarah O’Keeffe, Monckton Chambers Anneliese Blackwood, and Fountain Court’s Daniel Carall-Green. She is instructed by Geradin Partners Damien Geradin, David Gallagher, Jennifer Reeves, Patrick Teague and Anthony Ojukwu.
See more:
https://www.catribunal.org.uk/cases/16737724-professor-barry-rodger
https://www.catribunal.org.uk/cases/14087721-elizabeth-helen-coll
https://globalcompetitionreview.com/article/cat-denies-googles-bid-carve-play-store-class-action (paywall)
