Google Loses Appeal in Epic Games App Store Case

Google's App Store Antitrust Appeal Rejected

Google has been unsuccessful in its appeal regarding a court order mandating changes to its app store. This ruling stems from an antitrust case initially brought forth by Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite, as reported by Reuters on Thursday.

Appeals Court Decision

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Google’s contention that the initial trial judge committed legal errors. These alleged errors were claimed to have unfairly benefited Epic Games during the proceedings.

Background of the Lawsuit

Epic Games initiated legal action in 2020. A jury subsequently sided with Epic in 2023, finding that Google had engaged in practices that illegally suppressed competition.

Following the jury’s decision, the trial judge issued an order in October of last year. This order directed Google to allow access to its app store for competing platforms.

Furthermore, the ruling requires Google to provide Android users with expanded options for app downloads. The implementation of this order was paused while Google’s appeal was under consideration.

Google's Arguments in Appeal

Google presented to the appeals court that its Play Store operates within a competitive landscape alongside Apple’s App Store.

The company asserted that the trial judge improperly restricted its ability to present this competitive context as a defense against Epic’s antitrust allegations.

Essentially, Google argued it was unfairly prevented from demonstrating the existence of market competition.