Google loses appeal in Epic case, must revamp app store
What's the story
Google has lost an appeal against a court order mandating the tech giant to overhaul its app store. The ruling comes in an antitrust case filed by Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite. Epic accused Google of monopolizing app distribution on Android devices and controlling in‑app payment systems. The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Google's claims that the trial judge had made legal errors in favor of Epic Games.
Legal battle
Epic Games sued Google in 2020
Epic Games first sued Google in 2020, alleging that the tech giant had illegally suppressed competition. A jury was convinced by these claims in 2023. The trial judge then ordered Google to open its app store to rivals and offer more options to Android users for downloading apps. However, the order was put on hold while Google's appeal was pending.
Information
Google's arguments rejected by appeals court
In its defense, Google argued that its Play Store competes with Apple's App Store. The tech giant also claimed that the trial judge had prevented it from making this argument in response to Epic's antitrust claims. However, these arguments were rejected by the appeals court.
Next steps
Judge ordered Google to restore competition
US District Judge James Donato had ordered Google in October to restore competition by allowing users to download rival app stores within its Play Store. The judge also directed that Play's app catalog be made available to those competitors, among other reforms. Google's appeal was rejected by the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, but it could still take the case up with the US Supreme Court.
Support
Microsoft backs Epic Games
Epic Games has defended the verdict and court injunction, telling the 9th Circuit judges that the Android app market has been "suffering under anti-competitive behavior for the better part of a decade." The company also disputed Google's claims that changes to its app business ordered by the court would harm user privacy and security. Microsoft filed a brief supporting Epic, along with the US Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission.