A U.S. appeals court has granted Google a temporary stay in implementing changes to the Play Store, giving the tech giant more time to challenge an antitrust ruling in its legal battle with Epic Games. The court's decision pauses an order that would have forced Google to open up the Play Store to competing app stores and make its app catalog available to rivals.
In the ongoing dispute, Epic Games accused both Apple and Google of monopolizing mobile app distribution and payment systems. While Epic's lawsuit against Apple was largely unsuccessful, the case against Google gained traction, leading to a jury ruling in favor of Epic in 2023. The injunction against Google was intended to address alleged abuses of control over Android app distribution and in-app billing.
Despite the temporary win, Google's legal battle is far from over as it seeks further appeals and potential Supreme Court involvement. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for app store policies and competition in the tech industry.
