Google Urges US Court to Halt Play Store Overhaul in Battle with Epic Games

Google is seeking to delay a U.S. judge’s order that would force a redesign of its Play Store amid an ongoing antitrust case with “Fortnite” creator Epic Games. According to Reuters, the tech giant has filed an appeal with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, urging the court to pause a ruling issued on October 7 by U.S. District Judge James Donato. The ruling would require Google to implement significant changes to its app store to promote competition.

The court’s order stems from a jury’s decision last December, which found that Google was unlawfully monopolizing app distribution on its Android platform. As a result, Judge Donato ordered sweeping changes to the Play Store, including the allowance of third-party app stores and granting rival platforms access to Google’s library of more than two million apps. However, Google argues that the time frame set by the court—just three weeks to implement these changes—poses a significant risk to the safety and security of the Android ecosystem. The company has asked for more time to appeal, with the judge’s ruling set to take effect on November 1 unless further action is taken.

“This is Google’s last-ditch effort to protect their control over Android and continue extracting exorbitant fees,” an Epic Games spokesperson said, according to Reuters. Epic insists that the court’s injunction should be enforced swiftly to foster competition, benefiting both developers and consumers in the mobile market.

Related: Epic Games Files Fresh Antitrust Lawsuit Targeting Google and Samsung

Google’s legal team, now bolstered by high-profile appellate lawyer Neal Katyal from Hogan Lovells, is preparing for what could be a lengthy appeals process. In their filing on Wednesday, Google’s attorneys argued that the judge’s order demands a “Herculean task” of overhauling the app store, warning of potential security and user privacy risks. The company remains determined to challenge the jury’s antitrust findings while seeking to prevent the changes from being implemented prematurely.

The legal battle between Google and Epic Games has become a significant antitrust case in the tech industry, with parallels drawn to a similar lawsuit Epic filed against Apple in 2020. While Epic mostly lost that case, Apple was still required to make some modifications to its App Store, though the companies continue to dispute the extent of those reforms.

Judge Donato is set to hear arguments on Friday on Google’s earlier request to delay the order, while the broader case proceeds in the appeals court. For now, all eyes remain on the San Francisco court as both tech giants prepare for the next phase of this high-stakes legal confrontation.

The case is officially listed as Epic Games v. Google, 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Nos. 24-6256 and 24-6274.

Source: Reuters