9th Circuit Court Upholds Verdict Against Google in Epic Games Lawsuit, Orders App Store Reforms
Google's attempt to overturn a jury verdict and court order to revamp its Play app store was rejected by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The court upheld the decision that Google had illegally stifled competition, as claimed by Epic Games in a 2020 lawsuit. The ruling requires Google to allow users to download rival app stores within Play and make its app catalog available to competitors. Google's arguments that the trial judge made legal errors and that the case should not have gone to a jury were dismissed by the court. The decision can be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Epic Games accused Google of monopolizing app access on Android devices and payment transactions within apps. The court's order to restore competition aims to address anti-competitive behavior in the Android app market. Google's contention that its Play store competes with Apple's App Store was not considered by the court, and the company was barred from making that argument to contest Epic's claims. Epic, supported by Microsoft, the U.S. Justice Department, and the Federal Trade Commission, defended the court's decision, emphasizing the need for reforms in the app market.
The battle between Epic Games and Google over antitrust issues mirrors a similar dispute between Epic and Apple. Apple was ordered by a U.S. judge to provide developers more freedom in directing consumers to make purchases outside the App Store, a decision that Apple has appealed. The ongoing legal challenges highlight the growing scrutiny on tech giants' control over app distribution and payment systems. The outcome of these cases could have significant implications for the app ecosystem and competition in the digital marketplace.