AppLovin takes Unity to court over its Ad Quality SDK
AppLovin wants a California restraining order against Unity, alleging the Ad Quality SDK collected data on its ads to train rival ad models. Unity disputes it.
AppLovin has started legal action against Unity, asking a court in California for a temporary restraining order over Unity's Ad Quality SDK. The two companies run two of the biggest ad networks in mobile games.
What AppLovin alleges
AppLovin says the Ad Quality SDK collected data about AppLovin's ads, including creatives, users, devices, revenue and engagement, and that Unity used this data to train competing advertising models.
In its application, AppLovin is asking for:
- an order stopping Unity from collecting or using what AppLovin calls "Protected Data"
- the data collection to be shut down within five business days
- changes to the Ad Quality SDK within 30 days
AppLovin has also started separate arbitration proceedings against Unity, alleging breach of contract, misappropriation of trade secrets and unfair competition.
Unity's response
Unity says it will oppose the application. It describes Ad Quality as a small, free product that stops inappropriate ads from appearing in games, and argues that AppLovin's own Ad Review product is far more intrusive. A Unity spokesperson called the case "a classic case of a dominant incumbent resorting to litigation". Unity also denied that Ad Quality is the reason its ad business has been performing better.
Why it matters
Many ad-supported mobile games run both companies' SDKs side by side, often through mediation. If the court orders changes to Ad Quality, developers who use it may need to update their integrations. It is worth keeping an eye on SDK release notes over the coming weeks.
Source: PocketGamer.biz
