Google Looses Antitrust Case To Epic Games; US Judge Orders Overhaul Of Play Store Policies

The injunction, set to take effect on November 1, will give Google time to adjust its practices and agreements to comply with the court’s orders.

A U.S. judge has ordered Alphabet’s Google to overhaul its mobile app business following a jury verdict in favor of Fortnite game maker Epic Games. The ruling stems from a 2020 lawsuit accusing Google of monopolizing app distribution and in-app payment systems on Android devices. U.S. District Judge James Donato’s injunction requires Google to make significant changes to its Play Store to allow greater competition and consumer choice.

For the next three years, Google is prohibited from restricting in-app payment methods or preventing Android users from downloading apps from competing third-party platforms or stores. Additionally, Google must stop making payments to device manufacturers for pre-installing its Play Store and is barred from sharing revenue generated through Play Store transactions with other app distributors.

The injunction, set to take effect on November 1, will give Google time to adjust its practices and agreements to comply with the court’s orders. Google, which has announced plans to appeal the ruling, may request the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to pause the injunction while its appeal is reviewed.

Judge Donato also mandated the formation of a three-person technical committee, composed of representatives chosen by both Google and Epic Games, to oversee the implementation of the ruling and ensure compliance.

This legal battle is part of a broader antitrust scrutiny faced by Google. In a separate case, Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google had illegally monopolized web search by paying billions to maintain its position as the default search engine on various platforms. Google is also defending itself in another antitrust trial in Virginia over its dominance in digital advertising technology. Despite these rulings, Google has denied all allegations of monopolistic behavior.