Google fights to overturn Play Store verdict in Epic battle
What's the story
Google is appealing a court verdict and a judge's order to make changes to Play Store. The tech giant's legal team will argue their case before the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in California today. Google says that the trial judge committed legal errors in the antitrust lawsuit, which unfairly favored Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite.
Antitrust lawsuit
Epic Games accused Google of monopolizing app access
In a 2020 lawsuit, Epic Games accused Google of monopolizing the way consumers access apps on Android devices and pay for transactions within apps. The North Carolina-based company was able to convince a San Francisco jury in 2023 that Google was illegally stifling competition. After the verdict, US District Judge James Donato ordered Google to restore competition by implementing several reforms.
Appeal status
Google's appeal against the order is currently on hold
The order by Judge Donato is on hold as the 9th Circuit weighs Google's appeal. The tech giant has contended that its Play Store competes fiercely with Apple's App Store, and Donato unfairly allowed Epic to tell jurors that Google and Apple are not competitors for app distribution and in-app payments.
Nationwide impact
Google argues that the order unfairly affects users and developers
Google also argued in its appeal that Donato was wrong to issue an order impacting users and developers across the country, not just Epic. It claimed that the judge was acting as "a central planner responsible for product design." In response, Epic has urged the 9th Circuit to dismiss these arguments and accused Google of a "years-long strategy to suppress competition among app stores and payment solutions."
Legal support
Epic Games vows to fight for upholding the verdict
Epic has vowed to "fight to ensure that the jury's verdict and the court's injunction are upheld and Google is held to account for its anticompetitive behavior." Microsoft, the US Justice Department, and Federal Trade Commission have all filed briefs supporting Epic in this case. The 9th Circuit is expected to issue a ruling later this year, which can be appealed to the US Supreme Court.