Google against Epic: Court dispute goes before the Supreme Court

The legal dispute between Epic and Google is moving to the Supreme US court: Google wants to appeal against the judgment before the Supreme Court, which a judge fell in favor of Epic Games in December 2023. According to the judgment, Google would have to open its Play Store for alternative stores.

Google absolutely wants to prevent this. In August, however, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Google’s appeal in the app store dispute rejected. Now Google wants to try it with the Supreme Court, reports The Verge. On the one hand, Google asks the Supreme Court to initiate the rulings of the judgment of 2023 for the time being. The Supreme Court should decide on this until October 17th. By October 27, Google wants to officially make an appeal at the Supreme Court.

Disposal not implemented since 2023

In December 2023, an Epic jury was right in all points after the company behind “Fortnite” and the Unreal Engine Google in court accused the exploitation of its Android monopoly and anti-business practices.

A few months later, judge James Donato stated the consequences of this judgment: Google has to open his Play Store for alternative stores. In addition, all apps must also be available in alternative stores as long as the developers do not actively refuse this. So far, these orders have not been implemented because Google repeatedly pushed them up with legal remedies.

Google sees business model endangered

Google’s Android business model largely consists of taking commissions that Google in every purchase made over the Play Store. Alternative app stores threaten this system. Google also argues that an open play store would be less safe. In addition, the decision underneath the innovation on the Android platform and reduces decision-making options for users. If you want to use alternative app stores so far, you have to adapt security settings from Android in order to be able to install the stores via an APK.

The game developer Epic had sued Google and Apple 2020 after provoking the expulsion of his online game “Fortnite” from the Play Store with a calculated breaking break. In the course of the procedure, Epic argued about billions of billions that Google has concluded with device manufacturers such as Samsung: Google involved Samsung in the turnover of the Play store sales. In return, the manufacturers had to agree to give the Play Store the preference on their devices.