Epic Games have won a major legal battle against Google, as an American court has ruled that Google’s control over the Play Store and its payment system eliminates laws. This means that epic can now launch its App Store inside Google’s Play Store.
The decision came from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, which agreed with the 2023 jury verdict, which declared Google’s methods as illegal monopolies. Epic CEO Tim Swini described it as a “total victory” and said the Epic Games store would soon arrive at Android.
The CEO of Epic has announced that the Epic Games Store is coming to the Play Store. | Image Credit – @Timswinipk (x)
However, this is not just about epic. The court’s decision forced Google to allow other companies to launch competitive app stores on Android for at least three years. This includes giving them access to apps and preventing Google from needing their billing system.
The legal fighting began in 2020, when Fortenite was removed from their stores, both Apple and Google were sued for both Apple and Google. Apple lost its case against Apple, but the Google case came out in a very different way. During the trial, the jury saw emails and documents, stating that Google had made secret deals to shut down rivals with phone makers and game developers.
In a statement to The Verge, Google said it intends to appeal the decision in the Supreme Court because the company believes that the decision can damage the consumer safety, reduce the selection, and slow down innovation. Google argues that Android already allows Apple’s iOS, which does not allow other companies to operate its app stores at all.
But the judges did not buy the argument and said that Apple and Google work in different ways, and Apple’s locked system does not forgive Google’s control over Android. The court made it clear that Google has a monopoly on the distribution and billing of the Android app.
This decision can certainly change the way the Android app market works from this location. Developers can get more options for selling their apps and how to use their payment methods. But there are also risks like security issues, if Google has less control over publishing.
Consumers IT, this can mean more choice. For Google, that means major changes. Whether Epic’s store becomes a hit or not, the matter sets a new standard for App Stores and how they are allowed to work on Android. We will focus on the next Google move and the impact on the Play Store.
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