Epic Defeats Google in Court — Big Changes Coming to Android

Epic Games has won its lawsuit against Google — again. A U.S. appeals court has confirmed a 2023 jury decision that found Google’s app store and payment system to be illegal monopolies. This ruling forces Google to open up the Android platform to more competition.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Google’s request to overturn the earlier decision. It also allowed a previously paused court order, called a permanent injunction, to move forward. This order will require Google to change how the Google Play Store works over the next several months.

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney called the ruling a “total victory.” He also announced that Epic will soon launch its own app store on Android.

Because of the ruling, Google now has 14 days to start making changes. These changes include allowing third-party app stores inside the Google Play Store and stopping rules that force developers to use Google’s payment system.

Unless Google wins an emergency appeal, the new rules will take effect quickly. Google will also have to allow access to its app catalog and stop blocking competing stores and billing systems.

Google says the decision will hurt user safety and reduce choice, but it is still planning to appeal. It could ask the full Ninth Circuit to review the case or go to the Supreme Court.

This ruling is different from Epic’s lawsuit against Apple. In that case, Epic mostly lost. The court said Apple’s system was unique and did not compare directly with Google’s Android model, which is used by many smartphone brands.

The jury in the Google case saw emails and contracts showing how Google tried to stop competition. These included secret deals with phone makers and game developers.

This legal battle began in 2020 when Epic intentionally broke app store rules by adding its own payment system to Fortnite. This caused both Apple and Google to remove the game from their stores. Epic then sued both companies, hoping to challenge what it sees as unfair control.

The final impact of this court decision could reshape Android. Google must now work to comply with the ruling while fighting to protect its business model.