A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the unanimous 2023 jury verdict that ruled Google’s app store and payments system illegal monopolies. This decision presses forward with a previously paused permanent injunction aimed at breaking up Google’s control over Android.
Google has confirmed it will appeal again, likely taking the case to the Supreme Court. However, the court’s ruling means that Google may need to start opening Android to third-party app stores while the legal process continues, as originally ordered by Judge James Donato in 2024.
Previously, most of Donato’s injunction was paused during Google’s appeal, but the appeals court has now denied the stay motion as moot. Epic Games has already announced plans to launch its own app store inside the Google Play Store, taking advantage of the lifted stay.
The full permanent injunction would have wide-reaching effects: Google would be required to distribute rival app stores within Google Play for the next three years, provide competitors access to its entire app catalog, and be prohibited from forcing apps to use Google Play Billing or other anticompetitive practices. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney called the ruling a “total victory” and confirmed the upcoming arrival of the Epic Games Store for Android within Google’s app store, marking a significant shift in the Android app ecosystem.
Source: The Verge reports that Epic emerged victorious in its appeal against Google over Android app‑store practices.
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