Google went to court to appeal the district court’s earlier decision and the jury’s verdict in the case regarding the proceedings with Epic Games. Let’s remember that this week Judge James Donato ordered the IT giant to provide third-party Android application stores with access to the Google Play catalog, and also to waive the requirements that applications published on Google Play must use the company’s payment system.
Google lost the lawsuit against Epic Games, at the end of which the court declared the digital content store Google Play an illegal monopoly. According to the court’s decision, Google must make the Android operating system open for installation on third-party application stores on user devices, provide them with access to the Google Play catalog, and also refuse to force developers to use the company’s payment system to conduct transactions within applications.
«As we have previously stated, these changes will compromise consumer privacy and security, make it more difficult for developers to promote their apps, and reduce competition. “Ultimately, while these changes will satisfy Epic, they will lead to a number of unintended consequences that will harm American consumers, developers and device manufacturers,” said Google Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Lee-Anne Mulholland.
Judge Donato’s ruling said Google must begin enforcing the court’s decision on November 1, 2024, while the decision itself will remain in effect until November 1, 2027. Against this background, Epic has already announced its intention to publish its Epic Games Store on the American Google Play in 2025. Microsoft also announced that it will allow users to buy and play games directly from its Xbox app for Android starting next month.