Google lost its legal appeal on Thursday as the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal court order forcing the company to overhaul its Play Store following an antitrust lawsuit by Fortnite creator Epic Games.
Appeals Court Rejects Google’s Core Arguments
The appellate court rejected Google’s claims that the trial judge made legal errors favoring Epic Games during the high-stakes antitrust case. Throughout the appeal, Google argued that its Play Store actively competes with Apple’s App Store, claiming the trial judge unfairly prevented the tech giant from using that competitive reality as a defense against Epic’s antitrust allegations.
A Turning Point for the Android App Store
The legal fight began in 2020 when Epic Games sued Google over app distribution practices, successfully convincing a federal jury in 2023 that Google illegally stifled market competition. In response to that verdict, the trial judge ordered Google last October to open its Android marketplace to rival app stores and provide users with expanded choices for downloading apps. Although the mandate was temporarily placed on hold pending the outcome of Google’s appeal, Thursday’s ruling moves the forced Play Store changes one step closer to reality, as reported by Reuters.
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